Dragon of Great War
by Venompool
Summary: After his death at the hands of Raynare Issei, instead of joining Rias' Peerage is thrown into distant past. Waking without any memories and meeting certain Devil with crimson hair, Issei is thrust into world split by Great War with him being now part of it. Read and see for yourself how your favorite pervert fares, fighting to survive and fulfill his dream of becoming Harem King.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Yo, everyone. Here's my new story, for which idea just came to me one day when I was writing my other fanfiction. From where I actually took my OC, just made OP you'll see in right at the start. (To every OC hater, don't worry, he's not playing any big role here, he's just like that NPC in starting town that sends your character on his adventure.) So, I thought "There are tons of stories where Issei starts with some other great powers, gets Boosted Gear earlier, and on and on, some with time travel. But I haven't seen one with him actually taking part in the Great War." And here it is. Now, let's got to the reading.**

 **New version revised and fixed by ekaterina016. If you like Nasuverse stuff, consider checking his profile.**

* * *

"Boring. Boring. Boring. Bo- wait, that's actually interesting. But still, it's boring just sitting here!"

In a room without walls, surrounded by countless screens, a man clad in black kimono sat with a hood hiding his face.

"All this power I got from you… only to end up locked in here watching this part of the multiverse without any way to use it!" The man raised his head, throwing his hood off. He looked to be in his late twenties with cat-like orange eyes, black hair and white bangs. "Oi, I'm talking here! Maybe answer me for a change…?!"

What do you want? I'm trying to build a narration here.

"And I'm bored to the point of insanity. I'm not doing anything else than watching all parallel universes filled with Isseis, forbidden to do anything and effectively banished in here. On top of that, in this infinite number of worlds, there is only one Septimus. Only _one_ other version of me! The Sole variation from this endless torment is when I can drag Kaleidoscope or some other multiverse travelers here for a drink and talk."

Why did I create you to be like this? Look, I gave you what you wanted: unmatched power and absolute knowledge of the world. But I can't just let you run around with them, doing whatever you want. So, once again: What exactly do you want from me?

"I want to do something in one of the worlds. Not even just by myself; I want to play _You_ a little, stir things up, change a bit of this and that, and watch from here what it will become. But this time, this will be _my_ doing, at least partly."

If that will stop you from breaking the fourth wall here, why not? Just be quick with it.

"Aye aye, sir. And only one other little request."

What?

"Can you add another version of me in the world we're going? You know, three's company and all."

Alright, but I'm not showing him. Now, move, before I change my mind and erase you from existence. And let me make some normal narration again.

"Let's go!" The man shouted excitedly and jumped off his chair like someone freed from the torture device. Summoning a mass of energy to his hand, with a loud crack, he created a ripple in space which he jumped into, not wanting to wait anymore.

Oh, I finally remember why he's like that. I was just too lazy to think about how to create a convincing reason for what I wanted to occur, so I made him do my dirty work...

Happens.

* * *

Issei Hyoudou was dying, there was not much else to say. At the end of their first date, his girlfriend, Yūma Amano, or _Raynare_ , as she's just introduced herself, transformed from an attractive schoolgirl into a more mature version of herself in black leather S&M costume. And everything would be great, if not for the fact after that, she grew a pair of black wings, and some glowing spear appeared in her hand, which she summarily threw at him. That ended with him lying in the growing pool of his own blood with minutes, if not seconds remaining of his life. At least, he saw some boobs moments before he'd die.

 **\- Crack…**

"Ohh, finally. Polluted air of this world, how I've missed you!" Issei heard some weird noise like something breaking or being torn apart, before immediately followed by a merry male voice. "Now, to do the job here. You, BDSM Vulture; get lost, before I become curious how burnt Fallen Angel smells."

From where Raynare was, the sound of frantically flapping wings came to him, before quickly weakening away. "Now, without her here, state your wish. C'mon; you're dying right now, hurry up! What's the dying man's last desire?" Without any noise, a hooded person appeared above him, his flame-like eyes focused on the boy.

Feeling darkness overcoming his mind, Issei forced himself to formulate one more thought. " _What is my desire? If I have to die, I want it to happen in arms of the beautiful girl, looking into her eyes… not those fiery orbs._ "

* * *

Invisible Septimus watched as before him, over the dying teen's body, a crimson teleportation circle appeared, where a girl with just as crimson hair and breasts whose behavior escaped any logical comprehension and laws of physics came out: Rias Gremory. Not noticing the other individual, the Devil looked down on her summoner.

"So, you're the one who summoned me?" She asks, looking carefully. "Ara, ara, there's something interesting in you. As you're already dying, I can pick you up to be my servant."

Patiently waiting, the black man observed as the Devil princess took out and tried different pieces in her hands. Finally, after a few minutes, red light shone from eight Pawns as they sunk into Issei's body.

Septimus swiftly dispersed his invisibility and revealed himself. "I'm sorry, but that won't be possible. This one's going to be my source of amusement, and I can't let you have him, Rias Gremory."

 **\- Crack…**

With a wave of his hand, a crackling black rift opened under Issei, swallowing the newly-reincarnated Devil. Seeing this, Princess of Destruction summoned her signature power with intent to question this strange individual and get back her Pawn. However, as she looked into his burning eyes, she froze, seeing in them something similar to what she did her brother on the occasion when he let out a glimpse of his true strength.

Incomprehensible and unthinkable power.

"Before I forget: Thanks for the help, it's way easier to use actual Gremory pieces than to fake them. Here, these ones will replace pieces you've just used." Before the redhead, eight pawns materialized, looking just like her previous set. When he was about to step into where Issei vanished, a particularly playful spark flashed through his eyes. With a toothy grin which made Rias wanting to abandon her pride and run away, he created small card alongside the pieces he gave earlier. "Here, the contact data to one Nekomata highly skilled in magic. You should be able to recruit him with little convincing."

Only after the split in reality closed behind its creator, that Rias remembered her body needed to breathe. Faster than ever before, she summoned a teleportation circle leading to her club, and from there, she contacted her brother. The following days were especially heated for the Underworld and the unfortunate teen who had his home raided by an army of a siscon Maou.

Immediately after coming out of his portal, Septimus picked the unconscious brunet and looked around. They were in an empty warehouse, with weak moonlight shining over naked metal walls.

"Perfect." In a blink of an eye, a simple surgical table appeared before him. After setting Issei on it, Septimus took off his hood with a wide smile and created a glass of liquor for himself. "I forgot how much fun it is to play those mysterious and scary characters… although I most likely screwed up at the end. Welp, not like I care; I have what I wanted, and even made some mess on the side. Now, to our main character."

Leaning over the unconscious figure, the black-haired man rubbed his chin. "I'll have to modify his Evil Pieces a little for him to be able to promote without a King. Besides that… some memory purge and changes in his Sacred Gear are in order. Easy. Then… time travel, drop the poor guy and create a stage for his debut in the new world. Or is it the 'old world'?" He muttered under his breath. Downing the drink in one gulp, he threw the glass away. "Whatever. Time to work."

* * *

Somewhere over Europe, the sun was setting down, painting the forest in a variety of shades of orange, emphasizing autumn's picture. At the edge of it, laying on a blanket of fallen leaves, a lone brown-haired teen was sleeping. Some rays found their way under his eyelids, slowly waking him up.

"Ugh…" Issei wheezed as he sat, stretching the stiffness away from his muscles. Looking around, the teen noted there was no other living being around, with an abnormal silence – no sound of animals or even wind moving through the trees. He instinctively knew what it was – the kind of unnatural pause and peace which took place right before a catastrophe.

"Where am I...?"

 **\- BOOM!**

The tranquility abruptly came to an end, when from somewhere deep in the forest a large explosion echoed, followed by a strong gust of winds. His train of thoughts interrupted, Issei turned towards the source of the noise. Feeling as if something in his mind pushed him towards there, the teen walked between the trees. With every step he took, the feeling grew stronger, and soon he broke into a full sprint, avoiding low-hanging branches and stuck-out roots. After few minutes, he began hearing clashing sounds, accompanied by shouts. When shortly after that he could hear a loud cry of pain, Issei had actually arrived at the end of his path, able to see flashes of light between the trees.

As he reached large clearing before him, a peculiar scene appeared. Three individuals in brown leather armors were standing in a crater, wide enough to take over half of the glade. The two had black hair, and the third one blue, with wings in varying in intensity of black at their backs. All of them pointed spear-like objects which looked as if they're made of light, and gave Issei a threatening sensation directed at the lone young man with blood-red hair. The one at the front, whom Issei assumed to be their leader, had three pairs of wings and gray spear. The other two standing at his sides had only one pair each, their spears brown and red respectively. As for the redhead, he looked to be Issei's age, wearing expensive-looking battle garments colored in red and gold. Standing there, he was holding his bleeding side, eyeing the trio before him.

"Look here, boys, that's all those filthy High-class Devils are worth! With their big armies and servants, they think they're invincible, but separate one and he's easy prey." The leader of winged men laughed as he swayed his weapon before him, and spat towards the Devil.

"Said the Fallen Angel who needs two of his comrades to fight an already-injured enemy. For sure, such a great feat will make your names known through _all_ Factions as fearful opponents!" The injured Devil taunted his opponents, but it was clear he was at a disadvantage there.

"Shut up, scum! We'll take your head here and present it to our leader, while the rest of you will rot here. I'm curious how your family will react when they'll see your pretty red hair hanging over our armies!" The one on the left shouted with a vicious sneer, as he observed Devil's reaction at his word.

Watching the scene moved something inside Issei. He felt as if he saw something like that before, or more accurately, was on receiving the end of a similar situation. He felt sorry for surrounded teen, but the aura emitted by three men and their weapons told him that if he moved against them, he'd die. Then, the teenager felt time around him stop, with falling leaves stopping midair, and only shadows were moving. As shades danced around the forest in last light of setting sun, Issei felt as if they were reaching for him. When the black tendrils reached him, Issei thought for a moment there was a black and white cat on his shoulder, but when he looked there, he saw nothing.

" _You want to go there and help him, don't you? But you can't do_ _ **nothing**_ _; you don't have power,_ " a playful voice spoke in his mind. Issei immediately turned around, but he only caught glimpses of white among the shadows. " _Or do you? What if you had power? What if, maybe… I could give you power?_ " Issei felt whoever the voice belonged was circling him. When he turned back where he was looking before, two orange eyes appeared before him, followed by the rest of a cat's body with numerous tails, sitting on a nearby branch. "What then, boy?"

Dumbstruck, Issei gawked at talking cat before him. Matching his stare, the weird animal tilted its head, clearly waiting for an answer. Thinking for a moment, Issei darted his eyes towards the group in the crater. Looking back at the cat, he answered with conviction. "I want to help this red guy."

Swaying his tails, the cat jumped off the tree and disappeared. Again, in Issei's mind, he sounded his voice, laughing from the shadows around him. " _Good enough for now, but what after that? No, on second thought, don't bother to tell me. I'll give you your power. But I have two conditions. One, tell no one about me. Two, from now on, you'll have to be... kind and respectful to every cat you'll come across. How about that?_ "

Certainly not expecting these kinds of requests, Issei needed a second to collect his thoughts. "...ummm, alright?"

After his response, the cat materialized again on his shoulder and nuzzled against his cheek. "Splendid." It purred. "Now, imagine someone or something whom you see as the most powerful in the world. When you have a clear image in your mind, focus on what you feel and try to channel it through your body."

Issei closed his eyes and thought about what weird cat told him. In his mind, a glowing man with spiky gold hair appeared, but surprisingly, Issei couldn't tell anything else about him, not even his name. However, before he could think more about it, a growing sensation in left arm got his attention. After a few seconds, in flash of green light, a red gauntlet with green jewel and two gold spikes appeared on it.

The cat looked incredibly satisfied with his actions. Purring louder, it moved closer the gauntlet and wrapped its tails around it. "Well done. Behold… the ' **Boosted Gear** '. It allows you to double your power every ten seconds. But… it looks like it's still incomplete." From between his tails, a white light shone. When he unwrapped them, the gauntlet guarded and covered a bigger part of his arm, grew another few spikes and looked more like a dragon's arm. "There. That color scheme is not exactly my thing, but I'm not the one wearing it. Now, every time it shouts **[Boost],** that means your power doubles, and with **[Explosion]** all of that stored power is released for a few minutes. If you want to hide it, just think of it disappearing. There are some other abilities, but I'll let you find them out yourself."

After this, the black and white cat jumped off his arm, leaving Issei to himself as he admired the Sacred Gear. When he turned to thank for whatever talking animal done to him, there was no trace of him, and at the next moment, time resumed its natural flow.

 **\- [Boost!]**

The cat's voice came from inside the Boosted Gear, announcing the first power up. Looking back at three Fallen Angles, Issei saw them preparing to kill the redheaded Devil. Even with his power doubled, he knew nothing would really change; he needed at least two more boosts, maybe three. But he didn't think those three would just wait nicely for him. Weighing his option, the teenager thought about the only one way he could win there.

 **\- [Boost!]**

When the second boost sounded, Issei came out from between the trees and threw a stone at the trio. "Oi, assholes! Three against one is kinda' unfair! Care if I join him?!" He shouted at them with fake confidence, hoping to buy himself enough time.

"Who the fuck are you?" Everyone in the crater turned toward him, with the blue-haired Fallen Angel, looking incredibly bored, finally speaking up. Their leader quickly glanced at the newcomer, then turned to his associates. "Doesn't matter, he's a weakling. Kill him, and we'll take care of this one here."

When the trio turned their attention from him for a moment, the Devil summoned orbs of magic energy in his hands. With pain written over his face, he threw them at the spears flying at him, red power eagerly eating both weapons.

Meanwhile, now standing on the verge of the crater, Issei looked at his opponent. The older man just sneered and raised his spear at him. "I don't know who you are, but war is war. Devils, Angels, and Fallen Angels kill each other, and you're just another weak Devil."

As he threw it at him, Issei again got a flashback of the same situation. This time, however, instead of standing there and letting himself be speared, he moved out of its way. Counting in his mind all this time, teen knew he needed two more precious seconds before he could release the power.

Seeing as his first attack missed, Fallen Angel spat with distaste and summoned two more. Trying to avoid them, Issei jumped away, but when he landed, the ground beneath him gave up. Unfortunately, the brunet skidded down the slope, right under the feet of the armored man, looking straight at his red eyes.

"Any last words?" He asked as he pointed another spear at him.

 **\- [Boost!]**

When the third boost activated, Issei grinned. "Yeah. **[Explosion!]** "

With his shout, Boosted Gear shone with bright green light, momentarily blinding the other man and flooding his body with energy. Sensing the new source of power, other combatants stopped their fight for a moment, staring at other Devil. Issei, using the brief blind state of his enemy, kicked him under his left knee. Rolling from under falling Fallen, the teenager shot up on his legs and turned to the redhead. "Don't just stand there!"

Shaking out of his surprise, just like his unexpected ally, young Devil used his enemies' daze and threw a ball of demonic energy at weaker of his enemies, killing him before he could react.

"Arg-!" The victim of Devil's orb tried to scream, but his vocal cords were quickly disintegrated along with the rest of his body.

"Bastard!" The death of one of his underling enraged the six-winged Fallen Angel. Focusing back on the foe before him, the leader clenched his weapon and rushed at the killer.

"Ugh..." A low grunt next to him brought Issei's mind back to his fight. Rubbing his eyes out of his remaining blindness, the Fallen raised up, slightly hobbled on his left leg. "You have balls, kid. That bighead with three pairs of wings ordered us to go against a weakened Devil without giving him a fair chance to defend himself. Stupid coward. Even at war, one should show his opponent respect and face him in an honest fight." Summoning a red spear, the winged fighter hid his wings and raised weapon before him in standard spearman position. "Let's fight fair and square, just between a Devil and a Fallen Angel!"

Issei noticed that for the second time, he was called a 'Devil', but there was no time to think about it now. Raising his fists, he rushed at his opponent. When he came into the spear's range, it came at him with lightning speed. Instinctively blocking it with his red gauntlet, the teenager answered with his right fist flying at man's head. Swiftly sidestepping, the Fallen twirled his spear around and sent another jab, which was again blocked in a clash of red.

Trading blows for about a minute, Issei noticed his enemy was protecting his left side, with his left leg moving stiffer than the right one. Not sure how long this boost from the gauntlet would work, he decided to focus on the man's injured leg. His idea seemingly worked, as the Fallen Angel started to back out and focus more on the defensive. Wanting to end this quickly and go help against the last one, Issei closed up and sent a powerful kick at his left leg.

But that was exactly what spearman was waiting for. With the faked stiffness gone, the man spun out of the kick's way. And just like a viper, when a careless prey came too close, the spear rushed at the overextended leg, piercing it and pinning to the ground.

"Argh!" Issei screamed in pain, feeling as if a white-hot rod skewered his leg and molten metal coursed through his veins.

"You fight well, with your whole heart. But you're green and fell for a simple trick with a fake opening," the Fallen Angel soldier praised him and took out his spear, making Issei fall on the ground, clutching the big hole in his leg. At the same time, the sound of the battle behind them grew silent. Turning his head around, the Fallen saw some of his superior's feathers raining around, with the redheaded Devil panting among them. "So, Narael lost. Figures," he stated with a bored sigh.

"And you'll soon join him," the Devil said tiredly, slowly closing in on them with one hand on his wound, and the other holding swirling mass of energy.

Seeing the tables turned, Fallen Angel sighed and brought his spear at Issei's throat. "Most likely. But before that, I'm sure to take this kid with me, and maybe I'll even get lucky and score a hit at you. So how about a deal? You'll let me go and I'll spare this one who risked his life for you."

Staring at each other for a moment, with Issei on the ground shooting his eyes between the two of them, Devil finally dispersed even ball in his hand. "Alright, let him go and leave."

Hearing this, even Fallen nodded and also dismissed of his weapon. Spreading his wings, he flew to the edge of the crater and turned around. "Oi, kid! What's your name?"

Still holding his leg, the teen sat up, as the pain in his leg dulled slightly. "Issei."

"I'm Setanta! Train up, kid, then find me again at the battlefield. I'll be waiting for our rematch!" The Fallen introduced himself and flew away.

"So... Issei, right?" The redheaded Devil walked up to him and held up his hand. "I'm Sirzechs Gremory. Thank you for saving me. Without your help, I'll sure be dead by now."

Grabbing other teen's hand, and standing up with his help, Issei smiled. "It's nothing. I just saw you needed help and distracted them a little. You did most of the job yourself."

"Still, thanks. You said your name is 'Issei'; what clan you're from?"

"Clan?" Issei repeated after him, not understanding what he was talking about.

"Your Devil Clan. I'm asking where are you from. Besides, what are those clothes, and why there's a hole in them?"

Again, this one called him a 'Devil'. But when Issei thought about the second part, he suddenly found himself in a void. Finally having time to think, he realized that outside of his name, he didn't know anything about himself and the situation he was in. And it was actually true about in his clothes, as over his stomach was a big hole. Trying some more to remember something, Issei finally responded. "I don't-"

 **\- [Reset!]**

Right then, Boosted Gear spoke again. Suddenly feeling his strength leaving him, it was quickly replaced with a wave of fatigue. He'd have fallen face-first into the dirt, if not for Sirzechs catching him right before he did, carefully helping him sit down.

"I don't know. I've just realized I don't remember anything besides my name. I don't even know where I am, or how I got here. Hell, I didn't even know I was a Devil." When he was safely back on the floor, he answered honestly.

Looking at him thoroughly for some time, Gremory sat beside him, still holding his side. He summoned a red magic circle which flew into the sky and turned back to Issei. "This will inform my family where I am and they'll send someone over here to help us. In the meantime, as you don't know anything, let me explain everything to you. You see, we Devils are at war. A Great War against the God of the Bible with his Angels, and the Grigori, leading the Fallen Angels. Three Factions..."

And that was one teenager explained to another of the world he was now in, as they waited for the help among raising darkness of the night.

* * *

Back in the wall-less room, a familiar black and white feline sat. In the next second, a familiar man in black kimono appeared, holding a glass and looking at the screen.

"And so, it begins," he announced, raising his glass in the air.

* * *

 **A/N: And so it ends. The first chapter I mean. What do you think? In my defense of removing Ddraig's voice from BG, he's still alive and his future version stayed in the future, so someone had to fill his place. Besides that, I'm waiting for your opinions and thoughts about the story, what do you want to see in it. As it's DxD, there will be a harem, and I'm open for propositions, but make it logical. So, none of the canon girl, just those who could participate in Great War. I have few candidates, Grayfia and Serafall on top of them.**

 **If you liked it, leave follow, fav and reviews. See ya**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hey there, readers. It took longer than I thought, but here it is another chapter, and I'm sorry for the delay. Few answers to those of you I couldn't reach through PMs.**

 **-Yoga pratama: Still undecided who will be main, maybe I'll make a poll about it in the future.**

 **\- Password: High likely yes but still maybe no, depending on how the story goes.**

 **\- Guest: No chance for her here, sorry to disappoint.**

 **Beted, fixed and upgraded by ekaterina016.**

* * *

When Sirzechs's message reached his family, and the Gremory Clan's troops finally arrived, it's been over an hour and both teenagers had time to better get to know each other… at least as much as possible, when one of them knew next to nothing about himself. After Sirzechs explained roughly the basics to Issei, he then asked him to say anything he remembered, no matter how insignificant he thought it was.

Not wanting to lie right after meeting him, the brunet confessed that there were some things he could not tell in what little he knew. He spoke about the weird cat without letting anything specific about it, saying only that there was someone who helped him, and that only thanks to him Issei was able to help in that fight. Respecting his new companion's wish, Sirzechs promised not to probe as long as it wasn't going to cause problems for his family or other Devils. Issei followed by telling everything else he knew, what consisted mostly of short flashbacks and mismatched images, before it was then Issei's turn to listen.

Sirzechs explained that he was High-Class Devil, heir to one of the main families in Underworld, called the 72 Pillars. He was thought as too important and inexperienced to be put on the frontline, so even if he participated in the War, it was mostly on low-risk missions – training with soldiers, meetings with other families, and so on. That was until one day, a hooded messenger, with orange eyes and clad in black, came to his house when he was the only member of his family present there. Panting and bleeding, the man showed the seal of the Gremory servant and said some of their people were ambushed by larger Fallen Angel unit, requesting immediate help.

With the lives of his family servants on the line, the young heir, without hesitation, assembled a small but strong force and headed out to save them. When they arrived, there indeed was battle between a group of Devils and a much bigger Fallen Angels group. Leading the rescue party, Sirzechs and others managed to drive them off with relatively little losses on their side, compared to the enemy. However, on their way back, they ran across another group, one who would've killed crimson-haired Devil if not for the sacrifice of the messenger, who shielded him with his own body. While the servant's dedication saved him, it also split him from the rest of the fighters and left him with injury, leading to the events in the crater.

After that, Issei asked about his family, which led Sirzechs to share some stories about them and his life. That was also how the search party found them, sitting on the ground with their injuries, chatting like old friends and laughing about something either one of them said.

With a quick inspection, both of them were put under a sleeping spell and transported to a hospital in Gremory territory, where their injuries were treated. That was also where Sirzechs woke up the next day, with bandaged torso. Both of his parents were in their formal clothes, standing over his bed. A few steps behind them stood another Devil whom the teenager was not familiar with, searching through some papers he had with him. He had long grey hair with a matching beard and a set of scholarly white robes reaching to the floor with gold runes sewn all over it.

Involuntarily gulping, the son knew well enough what was waiting for him from his parents. "Hello, Mother, Father. You both look well," he said respectfully, preparing himself for a lecture about what he had done.

Zeoticus and Venelana Gremory just stood still without a word or any reaction, watching their son. Finally, after an uncomfortably long while passed, Zeoticus spoke while trying to keep a serious face. "Yes, and you look far from it. Now, before your mother loses her control and goes out there to annihilate every Fallen Angel who crosses her way, tell us how it all happened. We've heard fragments, but we want to hear the whole story from you."

When he ended, his wife painfully pinched his cheek. Her previously neutral face was now slightly shadowed with anger, sending shivers down her husband's and son's spines. "Dear, we established it's not the time for jokes, and we have to be strict. Or did you already forget?" She scolded her husband and released him, turning her attention from father to son. "Explain; why exactly you've ignored your duties as heir and carelessly endangered yourself in some skirmish?"

And so, barely after regaining consciousness, Sirzechs again repeated everything which led to his fight in the forest. His parents listened to everything, nodding from time to time. When he got to the point where Issei appeared, an old man with papers started to scribe something with a quill and compare it with other notes. Not sure about man's role there, Sirzechs continued, telling them the story that other young Devil told him and about his promise.

When he finished, his mother calmed down again and his father smiled warmly. "I'm proud of you, but you have to understand how important you are. Hostage of a clan's heir's caliber is something both Fallen and God's Angels would like to get. It's either them, or some outside forces were after the money, at the very least. No matter how strong you are, as a future leader, you have to weigh your decisions." Zeoticus then turned to the silent Devil. "Do you have everything you need?"

As he raised his head, Sirzechs couldn't help but compare old man to a lizard, with his dried skin and cold, almost unblinking eyes. He also had this knowledgeable aura around himself, one someone could gain only through dedicating his whole life to studying.

"I think so, Lord Gremory. With what your son said and reading we got from the boy himself, I can come up with possible theory who he is," the white-robed Devil answered respectfully.

"That's good. Sirzechs, this is Treon Zelvon. He's in charge of this facility and at my request was personally watching over you and your friend." As both Devils exchanged polite nods, Zeoticus turned back to the grey-haired man. "What do you have to tell us?"

Fixing his robes and beard, old Devil coughed into his hand. "Of course, my Lord. About your son's condition, he should be able to walk properly by now and be back in his full capacity within two days, as long as he doesn't overstrain himself. What is truly interesting, is that brunet boy with the pierced leg."

"What do you mean by that?" Lady Gremory cut in.

"I did the examination on him with some of my best students, my Lady. I never saw anything like him. Readings we got from our tests show things we thought were absolutely impossible."

"Please, specify."

"As your son said, his name is Issei, and he's a Devil without any memory of himself. As we treated him, he was positively reacting to energy transfer, which indicates he's part of the Gremory Clan or maybe the ones serving it. Magical analysis showed his magic reserves are almost comparable to that of a newborn, and his physical strength is also very low." Old scholar raised his hands and in his eyes appeared glint of interest. "However, we found in his chest some... _objects_ , emanating energy. We have no idea what they could be, but it looks like they have Devil traits in them, like they're made of demonic energy. And most miraculously, he has a Sacred Gear inside of him, something I've never heard of any other Devil to have!"

Gremory family thought over what Zelvon said, as none of them knew what to do with what they've heard. Sirzechs saw the red gauntlet Issei had, and the teen told him it's a Sacred Gear, not knowing what it is, so that wasn't new. Still, information about unknown objects and his friend's deficiency made him worried.

After a few minutes, Lord Gremory raised his head and asked in a concerned tone. "And what do you think about it? If he's this weak, does that mean he's dying?"

Sage shook his grey head energetically in denial. "That's the thing! He doesn't! It's like his powers only started to grow, as if they were blocked since a young age, or he has just gotten them. The second option is impossible, thus, we think he's one of the war's orphans. Abducted at a young age by Fallen Angels – if his flashbacks are any indication – and used as a test subject, taking into account their Governor General's love for experiments. That'd explain his memory loss, poor condition, and that Sacred Gear. Even gauntlet itself prompts toward this theory! There are no records of any Sacred Gear like that. It is similar to the common ' **Twice Critical** ', but much more powerful, and _something_ inside disrupts closer inspection like it doesn't like being tampered with."

Exchanging worried looks, they again fell silent. Unfortunately, orphaned children were not a rare sight – frequent skirmishes killed many families. And even though they were sure this one wasn't the son of any of their close relatives, it was highly possible with their servants, therefore making him their responsibility. There was also a matter of their debt for saving Sirzechs's life.

"Summing up, what does that make of him?" Sirzechs Gremory finally joined the discussion about his new friend.

"Aberration with unmeasured potential. Valuable... and _dangerous_."

* * *

Purple light shot through among rain of black feathers, followed by the searing pain in his stomach. The gloom slowly rose around him, before the light and feathers ran away from a pair of burning, orange eyes. Slowly, they turned at him, beaming through the blackness covering almost everything, growing in intensity with every second. When they were almost white, the shadows around lashed at them, swallowing all the light and leaving him in the darkness, with his body going completely numb.

"Gah!" Issei vaulted up with a gasp. Drenched in cold sweat, the remnants of the dream were still playing before his eyes. After taking deep breaths to calm himself, he quickly checked his body. He was only in knee-length short pants, and one of his legs was wrapped in bloodied fabric. His stomach was perfectly fine; instead, there was pulsing pain coming from his bandaged leg. Seeing this, memories of the previous day came back to him. "Where am I?"

Issei looked around the place he was in. There were different flasks, tubes, crystals, and other things everywhere, which the teen had no idea what could be in them, most of them pointing at him. Right when he reached out to one of them, a green magic circle before his face appeared. Over it, a levitated image of someone with slicked-back hair, the same color as the circle, and young blue eyes.

"I wouldn't do that, if I were you. That is, if you don't want to be fried by the magic energy flowing through those devices." Hearing that, the brunet quickly retracted his hand from tubes as if he's faced by a bunch of living snakes instead. The new guy laughed dryly at that and waved his hand dismissively. "Don't worry, they're safe as long as you don't touch them. Wait a second; I'll be there in a moment."

After that, the image disappeared, and Issei was again left alone. Careful not to touch anything, he sat up on his bed. He tried to stand, but his leg was so numb he almost fell on his face, instead of landing back on the bed. Deciding to stay there, at least for now, he thought about what to do while waiting. However, barely after Issei sat back, a bigger version of the previous circle appeared on the floor next to the bed.

Seeing the same green-haired Devil, Issei could finally take a more careful look at him. He was about his height, wearing a green novice tunic with gold trims. His demeanor from the first glance screamed 'mysterious', as he stared with an unreadable look at Issei. His face… Issei had to unwillingly admit was handsome – 'devilishly attractive', if he had to put it into words. With a wave of his hand, green light emanated from equipment around the bed.

"Sorry for the scare. My teacher is truly a genius and his inventions work great, but in his creative frenzy, he often forgets about the safety of others. Good thing I was actually doing a scan over you, or else we'd have another unpleasant accident. As for your question, you're in the medical wing of the Old Academy residing in the Gremory Clan's territory."

"'Another accident'?" Issei repeated.

"Just one of the students who touched it despite the warnings. On the good note, he is alive and well, just with a set of scars on his arms. But according to him, women like them a lot, so he's happy. Idiots are always lucky," the student explained with a small smile, as he walked to the machinery and started reading what appeared on one of the crystal balls.

Issei stared at apparently highly dangerous... _things_ next to his bed. How could someone leave them around other people without even a warning sign? He felt grateful towards the green-haired guy for saving him. While the thought of women liking him more with scars was a nice one, one coming from being fried wasn't as much.

"Thanks. By the way, I'm-"

"'Issei', I know. You don't have to thank me. If anything, I should thank you for helping Sirzechs," he interrupted without turning his head. "Readings show everything's alright, no signs of light poisoning or anything like that, so you'll be fine without Phoenix Tears." Suddenly, he facepalmed. "Oh, right! I forgot to introduce myself. Sorry. I'm Ajuka Astaroth, Zechs's friend, and heir of the Astaroth Clan." He put back crystal ball and turned to Issei, holding his hand out.

"You're that best friend he spoke of. I didn't know you were also another heir." The brunet shook his hand, recalling that redheaded Devil talking about his friend and, according to him, a 'rival' too. "Sorry, I'm new to this all, but shouldn't you be in your own Clan's territory, learning how to rule in the future and all? From what Sirzechs told me, heirs are highly valuable. Something to do with Devils' low birthrate?"

Ajuka snorted at his question, seemingly finding it amusing. "You're right, if I'd be the son to another Clan, I should. Fortunately for me, my family is a rare example of those, who are little more open and less paranoid than others, just like Zechs's. It also helps Gremory and Astaroth Clans are close friends, and I'm here to study under one of the greatest experts in magic in Underworld." The Green Devil glanced again at the crystal ball. "About the Gremories, because you woke up, they should head here with my teacher right now. There's not much we can do with your lower half because of your wound, but to your right should be a spare shirt left for you."

Issei looked there, and indeed, there were a grey shirt and a pair of black trousers. "The Lord and Lady Gremory... What do you think of them? Sirzechs spoke about them, but I'd want to hear what you have to say," he asked as he put on the shirt.

Looking at the brunet, Ajuka nodded approvingly. "That'll do. So... About Zechs's parents? They're like an uncle and aunt for me, with Lord Zeoticus being the kind and playful one, and Lady Venelana strict but loving. But you don't have to worry, you've saved their only son. I won't be surprised if they'll treat you as one of their own."

At those words, Issei thought back to the fight and smiled awkwardly, pointing at the bandage. "That's not true. All I did was fighting a single Fallen Angel and lost. It was Sirzechs who did everything, even saving me in the end."

"Ajuka's right. You've risked your life for my son, when no one asked that of you. Thanks to your fight, the enemy couldn't overwhelm him with numbers. Even if you've lost, both of you are alive. I'd say that's enough of a win for someone's first fight."

Hearing the kind voice behind them, both teenagers turned towards its source. In the now open doors, a smiling, older version of Sirzechs stood, sporting short beard and ponytail instead of freely falling hair. He was dressed in a black cloak over a snow-white shirt, both ornamented with gold motives of roses, a violet overcoat over black britches, with gold lines and white boots. Next to him stood woman with flaxen hair and warm violet eyes, which Issei couldn't help but stare at. Even though he could not remember almost anything before waking up in the forest, he was sure he'd not seen much women who could rival her looks, if any. With an elegant white dress and gloves further enhancing her beauty, she was truly a sight to behold. Issei's eyes quickly wandered down to her impressive cleavage, thinking how lucky a man her husband must be.

"Lord Gremory. Lady Gremory." Ajuka respectfully bowed down to the newcomers and brought Issei out of his thoughts before he could expound on his fantasies. Doing his best to follow the other Devil's lead, he bowed his head.

"Hello, Ajuka. We told you to call us 'Aunt' and 'Uncle' unless this is an official setting. Sirzechs will be happy you're here, he's wanted to talk with you. I hope you took good care of our guest here," Lady Gremory greeted the Astaroth heir warmly.

"Of course, Aunt Venelana. In fact, I managed to save him from carelessly touching one of Master Treon's devices," he corrected himself.

His answer caused Zeoticus to laugh. "We wouldn't want _that_ , thank you." Head of the Gremory Clan walked to Issei. "I am Zeoticus Gremory, Sirzechs's father. What I said before was true, we're deeply grateful for what you did. You can ask for anything, and I'll do anything in my power to grant it."

"I didn't do it for rewards. I just saw someone in need and acted. Not very successfully, I might add," Issei again unsuccessfully tried to shrug it off. "And I tell you, it was Sirzechs who did most of this."

"But I wouldn't if it was three-on-one for the whole time. Greed is part of Devils' nature, so stop denying and accept both our gratitude and reward."

Speak of the Devil and he shall appear. The Gremory heir followed after his parents with a wide smile, dressed in a loose red shirt and similar trousers. "So wish for something quickly, and better make it expensive. I don't want to think my life ain't worth much, so if for nothing else, do it for my pride."

As men in the room laughed at the joke, Venelana frowned at her son. "This poor child lost his memory and just regained it. He's probably confused and doesn't even know what he truly wants, so stop-"

"I want a harem!"

Lady Gremory's lecture was stopped by Issei's passionate exclamation.

"I want the biggest harem, full of the most beautiful women with the greatest boobs in the world!" If most of his memory was void, his desires were one shining thing among it; that, he was absolutely sure.

Silence reigned over them, as everyone stared at the Devil with a Sacred Gear.

"... BUAHAHAA!" Both father and son burst in laughter at the same time, followed by the chuckling Ajuka and giggling Venelana. "And that's the wish worthy of a Devil! But I'm afraid I cannot grant it, as the most beautiful woman in the world is my wife here, and I'm not going to share her with anyone," Zeoticus stated playfully through the laughter, as he walked to his wife and hugged her closely, emphasizing his point.

Sirzechs slowly toned down his laugh, watching his parents starting to be all lovey-dovey before them. Smiling happily, the Gremory turned his eyes at Issei. His expression at once turned sour, words the old Devil said after their initial talk repeating in his head. Mulling over the problem they brought, he didn't notice his best friend walking up to him until Ajuka put a hand on his arm.

"Judging by your face, I guess Master Zelvon told you his predictions about that guy's situation. Am I right?" Astaroth whispered; only the two of them knew what they were talking about.

"If you mean what that Sage thinks… that as soon as society hears about him, they'll want to cut him up to find how he can have a Sacred Gear, with the Four Great Satans being first in line? Then yes, he told us," he mumbled angrily in response.

"That's a shame, he looks like a fine guy. Unfortunately, our leaders won't think even a second about sacrificing some insignificant person without a Clan, or at least some worthy achievements in the War, if it'd give them a better chance for winning it."

His friend's words gave him the seed of an idea. The more Sirzechs thought about the problem, the simpler solution appeared for him. In one swipe, they could repay Issei for saving his life – as much as teen kept saying he didn't do much – and compensate from failing to protect him from the Fallen Angels, save him from spending rest of his life as a lab rat, and gain a potentially strong ally and friend. Weighing the pros and cons, the heir of the Gremory Clan made up his mind.

"How about you adopt him?" Sirzechs asked his parents out of blue. Exploiting that, everyone looked at him, and he explained it further. "As a reward for what he's done, you could adopt him. Without the right to inherit the Clan, of course, but he could make his own if he'd make himself a name on a battlefield. Tests showed he's already one of ours, so it'd be like making this official and promoting him."

Thoughts of everyone in the room, except for Issei's, quickly followed the same path as redhead heir's. When Venelana and Zeoticus considered consequences of this action, Ajuka grinned at his friend's cunning and for the first time laughed loudly.

"I said they'll treat you as one of their own, but who'd have guessed they'd literally offer to adopt you?"

Both heads of Clan felt sorry for lone teen, especially when they thought about what was going to happen with him. Exchanging an understanding look with his wife, Lord Gremory nodded. "You're right. I think it would be a fitting reward, and our Clan would only benefit from such a fine boy like Issei joining our family. We'll be more than happy to adopt him, if he agrees, of course."

The mentioned teenager sat on the bed awestruck. Issei was prepared he'd have to accept some sort of reward, sure. However, he'd never imagined them offering a place in their family to him, a complete stranger without anything. He didn't have time to think about his future, but now he realized he didn't know what he was going to do. Issei wanted to thank them, but with emotions squeezing his throat, he couldn't mutter a single word. Seeing as everyone waited for his reaction, coughed embarrassedly.

"It'd be an honor, my lord, but-."

"Great!" Zeoticus boomed happily, grabbing the younger Devil in a tight hug and not letting him end his sentence. His serious 'Clan Head' demeanor vanishing without a trace, swiftly replaced by more of a 'merry father' one. "It'll take some paperwork to make it official, but from now on, you're our son, so none of this 'my lord' thing. I don't expect you to call me 'Dad' so soon, but nothing else other than 'Father' will do."

"You don't have to worry about anything. For now, focus on healing up and we'll take care of everything." Venelana hugged her new son after her husband released boy from his grasp, although much more softly. "I'm sure you will great brother for Sirzechs and help to keep him safe just like you've already done."

"O-of c-course Father, Mother." Issei stuttered, tasting those words and trying hard not to think about breasts of a woman who from now would be his mother pressing onto him.

Releasing him with a pleased expression, Lady Gremory grabbed her husband. "Come, Dear, you have a work to do." While subtly dragging her husband out of the room, Venelana gave the rest one last look. "Rest well, Issei Gremory."

The three left the teenagers to stare at the now-closed door, then they looked at each other. Finally, the redheaded Devil was the one to break the silence. "I knew they'd be pleased with the prospect of a new son, but not to that extent. But… can't say that I'm not happy about having a new brother now. For Devils, it rare to have children, and I'd have to wait for a quite a long time for a sibling. Anyway, 'Issei Gremory' sounds nice, don't you think?"

"Yeah," Issei replied, still not sure if all of this really happened.

"Congratulations! I'm cheerful for both of you, truly! But as I still have my work here, and you two are patients, so go rest and recover. I'm going to check if there is no one else trying to die by one of Master's devices," Ajuka nagged at them and summoned his circle, disappearing in the green light.

* * *

 **A/N: And that's it. I didn't expect this story to be so popular, in one chapter it beat my older one. And that's great. Now, if I had anything more to say, I forgot, most likely wasn't worth to add here.**

 **Thanks to everyone faving, following and reviewing, the more of you the better. So don't be shy and just do it. Hope to hear from you soon, see ya.**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: IT IS HERE! The long-overdue chapter number 3 is finally done. My bad for taking this long. (insert bell noise and old hag repeating "Shame" here) But it is here, so call it my Halloween/Early X-mas/every-other-holiday-that-was-between-the-chapters present. Thanks to everyone who waited patiently and members of the elite fav squad. PS. I'm looking for a beta for this story, who would maybe also motivate me, but that'd be a bonus. Anyone who's eager PM me.**

 **About the story, looks like I'll have to make a pool whether hook Grayfia with Issei or everyone's favorite Lucifer (or the second one if you like Vali more). But that's for later. Here we have yet another chapter, this one introducing guaranteed main girl and greatest Devil Magical Girl (who as there are no Magical Girls yet is someone else) and preparing for the big party!**

 **But before that, advertisement and answer for reviews without accounts. A** **dvertisement - I have one more story, maybe you want to read it.**

 **\- sonic: Hope you like this one too!**

 **Thanks for your work here too,** **ekaterina016.**

* * *

Inside his temporary room, Issei sat his bed, again only in pants, as Treon Zelvon circled around him. The Sage Devil had already taken a portion of his blood, hair, and saliva, checked his senses and scanned his whole body, and now comparing the results with his previous notes.

"The wound in your legs seems to be fully healed. There are no signs of light poisoning; the demonic energy flow looks stable. About the wound itself, both the bone and muscles mended perfectly, so your fighting capacity should not suffer because of that." The scholar hovered a magic circle around a star-shaped scar forming where his leg was pierced. Packing his vast bag of equipment, the old man turned from his patient towards the doors, and sighed at the nailed-on piece of paper there. "Although, looking at the list of complaints from the female part of the staff, you were already better. Explain to me, how is it possible to earn twenty charges of peeking at women's changing rooms and sexual harassment in just two days? And I'm just talking about the cases you were caught here and where women were offended with that. Your lust matches that of Lord Asmodeus himself for sure; perhaps you are one of his offspring?"

This kind of remarks became the norm in their talks during Issei's week in the Academy. The director put for himself a goal to find his patient's roots, if not specifically who his parents were, then at least which Clan would he be also part of, besides Gremory. His theories varied from those relating to his aura and energy, pointing at a mixed heritage with Phenex or one of the Clans known for their affinity with Dragons, like Buné. However, when he looked outside of it, the most obvious answer seemed to be the Asmodeus Clan, judging by the boy's personality, but his looks were like those of Bael Clan. Treon was sure finding his identity would be a big challenge for even for someone like him, what only ignited the fire burning inside him and gave him an almost forgotten feeling reminding him of his beginnings as a researcher.

Shrugging as he started to dress himself up, Issei laughed sheepishly. "Heh, sorry. It's just… I can't help it. With all those beautiful women around, as a man who loves their bodies, it's my duty to admire those marvels!"

Stopping midway, Treon gave the teenager a curious look. "If that's the case, why don't you ask one them to sleep with you? There are plenty of women who would go to bed with the son of Gremory Clan, even if he is adopted," he asked, deadly serious.

Issei almost choked on the air, not prepared for that question. After a minute, when he stopped coughing, Issei met the eyes of still staring man. "It's just that... I don't want it like that."

"You don't want it like what? From what I've heard, you want a harem."

"Of course! But..."As the robed Devil's eyes still bore into him, Issei thought silently how to put how he felt in words. "I don't want to force or use any of them. Ignoring that, I'm still not used to being Sirzechs's brother; getting someone to sleep with me because of my new social status does not sit with me well. I'm going to build my harem, and it will be the greatest harem in this world! But, for my pride, I will do it myself, not because someone important likes me and my moral code won't let me to ever just use them, no matter the situation! I'm not sure if you understand, but that's how it is," he explained with a steel determination in his voice.

"So you won't force them because you respect them, yet you're okay with watching them naked without their permission?" The old sage summed up. Stroking his beard, he smiled a little. "I understand you, at least partly. Staying true to yourself, not taking an easy way out and following your ambitions. I know those, I was young myself. I'm not gonna' judge where you place yours, it's not my place. But please refrain from giving me more work than I already have. If you have to do those things, do it so no one catches you or outside of my Academy," he ended with a mischievous wink.

"Besides, if you'd use your position of being my brother like that, you'd earn really long and boring talk about how you should respect your duties from Mother," Sirzechs joked lightly, walking to the room in his official clothes. Standing before Zelvon, he bowed his head politely. "Good morning, Master Zelvon. How's the patient?"

Doing the same, the old Devil released his bag, which sprung insect-like legs right before it hit the floor and ran out of the room. "Welcome, young Gremory. Ready to leave at any moment, just like you. Now, excuse me, I have an important experiment waiting for me. Farewell." Bowing again to both teenagers, Treon fixed his robe and followed steadily after the running bag.

After the man left, Sirzechs walked up to the bed and swept his eyes over Issei with a small smile. "The clothes the servants brought look good on you. What do you think of them?"

Issei stood up and checked himself in the mirror. "They're... umm, red?" He answered hesitantly, turning to the sides and checking himself from different angles.

The clothes they talked about were a set of blood-red trousers with black ends, paired with the same colored blazer over the silk shirt in a light shade of crimson. Both blazer and trousers were trimmed with gold demonic symbols on the sides of arms and legs, as well as gold Gremory symbol over the hearth. Over his shoulders, he had wrapped long black cape reaching down to his ankles, which was similar to Sirzechs's, with his new family crest shining with red light. The last elements of his new wear were dark-red, almost black high boots, completing the image, which looked alien to Issei. And, worst of all, he couldn't move around freely in it, with the shirt and the blazer keeping him in place.

"Red, uncomfortable, and noisy you mean?" Sirzechs's smile only grew in size. "To be honest, I hate this ceremonious thing as well, and I'm grateful I'm not the one who has to wear them. But today's your big day, you're going to be presented to the Clan as an official member, so there's no escape for you. They'll introduce you to elder members, the various serving Clans, and a few of our closest friends, so grit your teeth and try to look presentable," the redheaded consoled his friend.

Leaving his unfamiliar reflection, Issei sighed and glanced around the room. Seeing no sense in delaying, he looked at Sirzechs expectantly. "When are we leaving? Do I need to take anything?"

"If you're ready, we can leave right now." He summoned a magic circle. "Let's go."

* * *

With a red flash, both Devils appeared in the main hall of Gremory Residence, with Lady Gremory and a group of maids were waiting for them.

"You're finally here! Hurry, we have to prepare you before the celebration." Venelana quickly gave maids a sign, at which they circled both boys and started pushing them to the next room.

"Prepare? But we're already dressed. Mom, please don't tell me I have to wear the same thing Issei does." As they were pushed, Sirzechs asked uncertainly, while Issei noticed some maids' uniforms seemed too tight around their chests and threatened to spill their contents out.

His mother smiled warmly at that. "Of course not." As Sirzechs let out a sigh, the door before them opened, showing two high chairs. "But we still have to take care of your hairstyles. Ladies, you can start."

"What?!" Sirzechs screamed in surprise, mirrored by Issei, who drew his eyes from the surrounding him women.

Like that, both of them were forced to endure half hour motionlessly sitting, as they were handed from one pair of hands to another, with scissors flashing, hot air gushing, and magic circles flying around. When the ladies finally deemed them ready and put them before the mirror, it showed another unfamiliar image. Sirzechs looked mostly unchanged, with the exception of his hair being slightly shorter and more styled. Where previously there were several burned or uneven strands left after his fight, now none could find those even those with a hawk's eyes.

However, the biggest surprise was Issei himself. If after dressing up he could hardly recognize himself, now, in the mirror, stood total stranger. His normally spiky hair was now combed and sleeked behind, with all unruly strands brought into perfect harmony and cut to appropriate length. Staring at his reflection, the teen turned to the others with an unbelieving expression.

"Is that me?"

Venelana, pleased at maids' handwork, loudly clapped her hands. "Thank you, ladies. You can go now." As the servants bowed their head and walked away, Lady Gremory turned to her old and new sons. "Alright, now, you are ready. Guests will soon start to arrive, and in the evening, we will begin the ceremony. Issei, do you remember your part?"

What she was asking was part of an apparently traditional Devil adoption ceremony, and as Issei was being brought into the inner family, he had to take part in a ritual where he made vows to his new Clan and a few other things. His lines and what exactly was expected of him was brought to Issei when he was yet bedridden, so without anything else to do and not wanting to embarrass himself, or the people who were doing so much for him, he memorized the whole thing. Of course, as soon as he could walk, he started his peeking quest, but he had enough time before that.

"Yes, perfectly."

"Good. Sirzechs, now as you have a free moment, please show Issei around the mansion. After you finish, be at the main entrance, as you will be greeting some guests." After explaining, Venelana looked at them expectantly.

"Understood," both of them chorused.

Looking after leaving Lady Gremory, Sirzechs scratched his chin. "We don't have much time, seeing everything is out. There's also no need for the ballroom or courtyard, as you'll see them later." Falling silent for a moment, the redheaded walked few steps around. "Hey, did you eat anything yet?"

At the mention of it, Issei only then noticed his stomach was for quite some time demanding his attention, being drowned by all the women around him before that. "No. Actually, now that you said it, I'm starving."

"Then, the kitchen it is," Sirzechs announced.

As they strolled through the corridors, Issei noticed how many people, or more accurately Devils, were passing them. It varied from some more women in the familiar maid's uniforms, and the butlers accompanying, to finely-dressed nobles and guards with Gremory sigils on their uniform, all rushing with their task. However, every time they were noticed, with Issei's choice of attire, more often than not, whoever they were, they all stopped and stared at the pair of teenagers.

"I think this attracts too much attention. The cape itself is overdoing it, but with everything else..." The brunet complained, tugging at his uniform.

"It's not that. They'd stare at you no matter what you'd wear; it's actually really rare for one of Pillar family to adopt someone. You're actually quite a celebrity in the Underworld right now." Sirzechs explained, but couldn't suppress a chuckle. "But you're right: your attire doesn't help."

During their walk through corridors, even though Sirzechs told him they would use those less-used ones, Issei still felt overwhelmed with it. Every door they passed were made of high-class wood and at least twice his size, with the bigger ones doubling even that. On the marble walls, there were various painting and arrays, every hallway was lined with thick carpet which silenced the steps of brimming servants. There wasn't anything so outrageous as handles made of pure gold, but even that made Issei dizzy while thinking how the most presentable part of the house looks like.

Finally, they appeared before widely opened gate-like doors, where two rivers of Devils either exited or entered through. Before even stepping into the kitchen, a strong aroma of cooked dishes hit both teenagers hard, making Issei's stomach grumble like a hungry beast. Inside, there was a sea of people running around with trays in chaos, multiple fires burned under pans, kettles, and spits, cooking animals and beasts, which Issei had no idea what most of them were.

"Rotate that boar faster, or you're gonna' burn it – and then I'll cook _you_ instead! You. there, with the trays; move faster, there's the whole line of those waiting, and you look like sleeping instead of running! And you, with the fishes; slow down, they're fragile and if you drop them like that, you can as well leave and don't waste them!"

"Yes, Asura-chef!"

Amid that chaos, a man with long brown hair stood like a captain during the gale, shouting orders and operating himself above three different stands. The man's hair was tied behind except for one strand, and he had a slight beard, while his attire consisted of a long-sleeved white jacket and loose black pants. Passing between rushing personnel, Sirzechs led them straight to him, waving to attract his attention.

"Asura-chef, do you have a moment?" The redheaded Devil asked in a friendly manner.

Turning to the newcomers, the man's expression softened a little after seeing who called him out. "Oh, the Gremory kid. I already told you to stop with that moniker. What do you want here? We're overworked, and everyone acts like crazy." After that, he turned behind, his eyes immediately finding a timid blue-headed girl who uncertainly worked over her stand. "Tadokoro, leave the meat and change with the idiot who's butchering that already-dead fish!"

Asura scanned the kitchen, stopping for a moment over the called girl, who in fright almost literally dropped both knife and meat she was holding, and then ran to her new place. Meanwhile, Sirzechs turned to his companion. "Issei, this is Jōichirō Yukihira, Gremory's head chef, known as 'Asura', or the 'Devil of the Kitchen'."

Issei nodded courteously and held out a hand. "Nice to meet you. I'm Issei, and from not long ago, Issei Gremory."

Switching from frying pan to a knife, cutting the meat before him with lightning speed, Jōichirō glanced at Issei's clothes and answered with a nod. "Likewise. So, you're the kid whom we're preparing this all, huh? I'd gladly shake your hand, but unfortunately, we're a little short on those. Now, why are you here?"

"We've come to ask if you have something light for us to eat before everything starts," Sirzechs explained quickly.

Turning to another pot, Asura grimaced. "You couldn't find the worst moment; I can't spare even a second to prepare something for you. But..." Looking again around the kitchen, he found a familiar spiky red hair and white headband. "Sōma, your break is in fifteen minutes, right?!"

"Yeah! So?!" A young voice shouted in reply over the noise.

"Make something fast for two people, and take it now; Sirzechs and today's VIP are hungry!"

"On it!"

Jōichirō turned again to two Gremories, motioning his head to a quiet spot where the small group sat down, eating. "Go there, your food will be in a moment."

"Thanks." They both nodded gratefully and again started pushing through the crowd to the appointed place. After finally leaving the cramped space, they sat at one free table and sighed in relief. Looking around, they saw everyone sitting with them was in kitchen uniforms, appearing as if they walked through the deepest levels of Hell, and only now had a chance for a lunch break.

"And it's all because of me? It seems more like a preparation for war than a feast." Issei awed in disbelief.

"For us, it _is_ like a 'Food War', especially at times like this," a carefree voice spoke behind them, belonging to a boy about their age, who was holding three covered plates. The newcomer had hair in a similar tone of red as Sirzechs, held by a white headband, a vertical scar over one of his yellow eyes, and the same outfit as Jōichirō.

Smiling towards him and instantly taking one plate, Sirzechs started the introduction. "Thanks. Issei – this is our distant cousin from his mother side, Sōma Yukihira. When you'll taste his food, you'll fall in love with him."

Following his example, Issei looked curiously at the other redhead, hearing the same family name again, which, as he thought about it, now sounded a little familiar. Not the name itself, but the way it rolled of his tongue. "'Yukihira' Sōma? Are you Asura-san's son?"

Grinning widely, the young chef removed his headband and sat down with them. "Got that in one try. So, you're the new guy who saved Gremory's life? Good job." Staying silent for a moment, Sōma didn't move his eyes from the brown-haired teenager. "Sorry if it sounds weird, but... Are you from Japan?"

Issei and Sirzechs stopped right before removing their lids. "What do you mean?" Sirzechs asked.

"It's just... The way he repeated my name, starting from a family one, or adding '-san' at the end of Dad's moniker… His face and name also reminded me of Japan." The scarred Devil answered with a shrug.

Exchanging glances with Sirzechs, Issei also shrugged helplessly. "Sorry, but to be honest, I have no idea. I don't remember anything before waking in the forest, and the scraps I remember mostly don't make any sense."

"Besides, we've checked and he's not in any part human, so there's no chance for that," Gremory heir added.

"Oh, that's great. Not that you don't remember anything, but that you're a full Devil. With that hair, we'd most likely, in the end, found out you're my secret uncle somehow. And that'd be confusing." Sōma sighed in relief. "Alright, let's eat."

As they opened the lids, the escaping smell hit everyone at the table, making two Devil droll and the young chef's grin to widen. Inhaling the rich aroma, they stared at bits of different kinds of meat mixed with herbs and golden dressing.

Swaying his hand, Sōma announced. "I present to you: "Yukihira-style Mashup of Bits and Scraps"!"

Sirzechs looked in disbelief, from the tray to his cousin. "You've created this in a minute before getting here?"

The yellow-eyed Devil smugly smiled at that. "You just don't know how to move in the kitchen, and gave me plenty of time to finish this."

Not caring about the weird name, Issei already jumped at the food, devouring it with monstrous speed. As a symphony of splendid sensations stimulated his senses, Issei thought about one strange thing Sōma said, and reluctantly stopped his fork.

"Why would I most likely be your uncle if I were from Japan?"

Sōma shrugged as if the question was a regular topic for him. "You see, I'm not Pure-blooded Devil. Pops, the 'Devil of the kitchen', is ironically a Half-Devil, which makes me three-quarter Devil. And as there's not much of other mixed bloods, especially Japanese, chances we'd be family are high."

"You will officially be family in a few hours, just from the other parent," Sirzechs pointed out in-between bites.

Issei, who returned to eating right after his question, just stared in a blissful haze over the empty plate. Seeing his reaction to the food, Sōma took out a small box and opened it with a wide grin before the brown-haired Devil. "Want to try this one?"

Issei hesitated for a moment, as what he saw inside was an oily black mass with some tentacles. But thinking he shouldn't judge the book by its cover, and the chef who created the previous dish had to make even something looking more like tar than food tasty, Issei took a big portion of it and swallowed.

Sirzechs, too late, noticed what was happening to stop it. When black grease was right before Issei's mouth, the last thing he remembered was the redheaded man rising energetically and shouting something in a panic.

* * *

There was darkness, the one thing Issei was sure about. The teenager didn't know why, but he was drifting among this darkness, totally naked. Actually, it wasn't exactly true, as on his left arm Boosted Gear shone with a calm green light, but that didn't help him much with this weird experience. Issei tried to kick his legs and "swim" into some direction, but without any orientation points, there was no way to know if it had any effect.

Crossing arms over the chest, Issei looked at red gauntlet helplessly. "Great. Right when I was getting used to this, something like that happened. What is even this place?"

When he spoke up, something changed. Issei felt "something" around him, staring at him from... Everywhere? Even the weird presence didn't help him with setting any direction, only further confusing the Devil. But the longer it was there, the more weird thoughts started appearing in Issei's head. At first, it was just something akin to a hunger, but different. Then came curiosity, loneliness… and when the hate started to flood him, Issei was sure something was _very_ wrong. Every next thought became more inhuman, and Issei quickly stopped even understanding what they meant. Thoughts became images, and seeing himself from afar, closing in, was the last push to dropped Issei into the madness...

"Shoo, shoo. Bad world-eating monster. Leave… Fuck off!" The somehow familiar voice snapped from behind Issei, or wherever it was. After his words, now-scared presence quickly ran off and Issei felt a pair of hands shaking him. "Yo, you're in there?! Please say yes, I don't want to search for a new you and repeat everything again."

Feeling his senses slowly coming back to normal, Issei remembered how to understand what he heard, recognizing the weird cat's voice. Then, his eyes started to work as they used to, and he saw before him a man with orange eyes surrounded by similar light as him. Yet, unlike him, instead of being naked, the man was wearing... a pirate outfit? With a hat, leather boots and all – the only thing missing was an eyepatch.

"Eeee?" Instead of words, an inaudible sound left his mouth, but that seemed to be good enough for the man because he smiled with relief.

"Thank goodness. Those things operate on higher planes than normal being like you, and when they try to communicate, it ends up with brains just... turning into jellies. Not that their conversational partners care, when their world is consumed a few minutes later."

Listening, Issei felt again like when that weird thing "talked" to him. "Excuse me, but... who are you? And where are we?"

The man stared at him for a moment, confused, tilting his head. "You've already forgotten me? I missed my introduction earlier, but I'm the one who unlocked that gadget on your hand." The not-catlike cat said, pointing at Sacred Gear. "And that fancy thingy is the answer to your second question, 'coz we're inside it. At least, your consciousness is. But how the fuck you've got here, I have no idea."

"We're... inside? But-" The teen tried to speak, but was unceremoniously cut off.

"Originally, it was created as a prison for someone very big, very angry and very powerful, at least by your standards. But without him here, this whole place is empty, and that's what called Speedy here."

"'Speedy'?" Issei lost what his companion was talking about again.

"The entity who almost mashed your brain. That's how I call him." Looking around the darkness, the older male took off his hat. "Looks like this place can't stay empty, so until that lizard comes here, I'll just make it here my second workshop. But you're not needed here, for now, so you too, shoo."

The hat then landed on Issei's eyes and everything vanished.

* * *

"...-ake up. Wake up!"

Worried voices got into Issei's hazed mind as he started to regain consciousness. Actually, how did he end on the floor with two redheaded guys shaking him like a ragdoll? He was eating with Sirzechs and Sōma, tried the suspicious looking food and... And then what? He had no idea if what happened was real or just a dream, but for his sanity, he convinced himself he was hallucinating from food poisoning.

"I'm awake! Let go of me!" Pushing them away, Issei stood up and straightened up his way-too-red clothes. "Why are you so jumpy anyway? And what the fuck did you gave me?!"

"No time to talk! We have to run, or Mother will chew us out. You were out cold for an hour, and we have to be at the entrance like, right now!" Sirzechs grabbed his shoulders and started running without giving Issei a chance to oppose.

"AN HOUR?! Seriously, what the fuck did I ate?!" Turning to shout at Sōma, Issei saw him grinning at running duo without any shame.

"I'll explain it later. Now, just run. Sorry! Make way please!" Sirzechs sped, using him as a battering ram, pushing through the crowd.

"Sorry! Excuse us!" Issei joined in apologizing. "Hey, why are we running instead of teleporting there?"

"Just shut up and run!"

After five minutes of the crazy sprint, shoving through a sea of servants and more 'sorry's than anyone cared to count, two breathless Devils stood before the main entrance to the mansion. Before the impressive doorway, an entourage of clan members and servant, with the Lord and Lady Gremory at the front, was lined.

Noticing the teenagers, Venelana hurried at them to join the group. "Stand next to us, you have to greet the guests. And Issei, try to remember as many names as you can; most of them will be family friends or allies."

Rushing to their spots, Issei leaned to Sirzechs and whispered. "Now we've finally stopped, can you explain me that thing with Sōma?"

"He's a great chef, and in the future, he will probably beat his father. But unfortunately, both of them have an unhealthy habit of sometimes making as disgusting dishes as possible, and testing them on others. Lately, it became so bad Father thinks about weaponizing their... creations." The redhead whispered back.

After that, they fell silent, watching as the massive slowly began to open. Through it, Devils bearing banners with blue symbols on them started coming, led by a pompously dressed giant of a man acting as their herald.

When they entered, the giant inhaled loudly. "LORD AND LADY SITRI, WITH THEIR DAUGHTER AND ESCORT, HAVE ARRIVED!" After the announcement, which Issei thought had enough force to shake the foundations of the mansion, the herald moved away. In his place stepped a pair of black-haired, blue-eyed Devils dressed in a similar manner as Lord and Lady Gremory, but with blue additions instead of red. The man was of slender build, fitting for someone doing intellectual work, with his eyes and serious face further increasing the image. His wife held herself in a similar manner, with small smile decorating her face when her sight stopped on Issei.

"Zeoticus, Venelana, it's been too long since we've seen each other. Unfortunately, the war has taken its toll even on our friendship."

Saying those words, Lord Sitri walked with arms wide open to Sirzechs's father, who met him halfway with a bear hug and happy face. Little to the side ladies had their own reunion, although less emotional than their husbands'.

"Yes, it's been. But the time for reminiscence will be later." Letting go of his friend, Zeoticus turned to Issei. "Meet Issei, the boy who saved Sirzechs, who in another few hours will officially become our son. Son, these are Shilon and Sarvi, our dear friends. And where is Sera-"

"SIRZY!" Zeoticus' introduction was interrupted when the child-like girl ran from behind the monstrous herald and clung to crimson Devil, screaming his name. "Sirzy, are you alright?! I've heard you fought with Fallen Angels and could've died! You can't die or me, Aju and Fal will be sad! You can't!"

As the girl let go of Sirzechs, Issei could finally get a good look of her. Long twin tails held by pink ribbons, child-like face, striking blue eyes. Then, his mind noticed her totally not child-like bust, covered by navy-blue and pink dress reaching the floor. At least partly, as the sides and the back part with a cut in the middle did that. However, at the front, it was much shorter, not even reaching halfway to her knees. When the girl twirled to face him, the bottom part of the dress looked as if she flapped some flashy wings.

"Yes, yes, Sera. I'm good. However, meet my friend who helped me then, Issei. Issei... Issei!" When Serafall released him, Sirzechs tried to introduce her to Issei. However, he was meet with brown-haired teenager staring without blinking at the blue ball of excitement and unpredictability. And then said ball hopped without a warning to Issei and stood on her toes so close her nose was almost touching his. And her boobs _were_ actually touching him.

"Issei? Issei... Ise! Thanks for saving Sirzy! I am Devil Fairy Sera, nice to know you." She ended with a wink and booped Issei's nose.

That seemed to wake him up. When he first saw her, just like with Lady Gremory, her beauty struck him like a lightning. However, unlike previously, he wasn't looking at the older woman, but at the girl his age, and his brain just... _stopped_ after plastering a dumb smile on his face. That happened a lot to him today actually, for various reasons. When it rebooted and started working again, he tried to remember what Sirzechs told him about this weird and attractive girl. Shaking his head, he finally noticed the distance between them, and not knowing what to do, started stuttering.

"Y-yes, me too. I-I mean, nice to meet your boob- YOU! Nice to meet you!" Taking a deep breath, Issei took a step back and bowed to Sitri heads. "It's an honor to meet you, Lord Shilon, Lady Sarvi. I wish you enjoy the ceremony."

"Thank you, it's a pleasure to meet you. Good luck when you will be in front of everyone; we'll see you after the main part. Till later," Lady Sitri answered with a polite nod, and her smile grew when she saw her daughter's interaction. After the rest of the group was done with the pleasantries, she turned back and led them into the mansion.

"Bye, Ise. I'll find you later at the party! And you have a great suit!" Serafall waved merrily as she ran after her parents.

After they left, Sirzechs walked smugly to his friend and hang his arm around him. "She's something else, isn't she? But at how you reacted I guess you plan to start your harem with, huh?"

Still staring after running Serafall, Issei absently nodded. "Yeah, you're right... Wait, what?! Don't stick your fingers in my harem, with whom I'll start it and who will be there is my private matter!"

"Stop this and stand still. For the next hour, we have to greet _everyone_ , so behave." Venelana scolded both boys, earning tired groans from them and Zeoticus, as they fixed their clothes and turned to wait for another group.

* * *

 **What do you think? About the plot? About who should join Issei's harem? About his disgustingly red outfit that I put him in?**

 **Thanks everyone, good luck, leave reviews for me, fav and follows. And see you in the next chapter!**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Hello, everyone who waited for this story and those who read it later on. That chapter here took me WAY more time than I thought. There are few reasons for that, but what use is telling it and sharing my life, when no one cares? What matters is that there's a new chapter and it's twice the size of the normal one. Reasons for that are that there wasn't any good stop to break them and I wanted to finish this "tutorial" part here. So, enjoy.**

 **You can read this chapter with less of my grammars and mistakes thanks to ekaterina016. He deserves a cookie.**

* * *

"Barbatos, Vepar, Beal, Furcas, Haagenti, Phenex, Kimiris..." Two teenagers sat in a corner, where Issei 'soon-to-be Gremory' kept mumbling names of different Devil clans heads' introduced to him in the last two hours.

"The last one should be Kimaris. You sure you're alright, Issei? It must've been hard for you since it's your first time." Sirzechs handed him a cup of water, which brown-haired Devil eagerly emptied.

After standing at the entrance and greeting some of the most influential Devils in the Underworld, both Sirzechs and Issei were given a short break. After being flooded by wave after wave of different auras and powers, seeing the most bizarre of Devils in appearance, character, or sometimes both, the new member of Gremory needed some time before he could meet any of them again. But he noticed a pattern there. While men looked mostly in their thirties or forties, preferring more serious appearance, most women looked no older than in their late twenties, with not even one looking over late thirties. Also, every pair of boobs he saw held themselves firm and springy despite their sometimes gigantic sizes. Magic truly was a magnificent thing and held many benefits for the world. But that also made his perverted mind wonder, whether Devils used it to also increase the size of their...

Staring down the empty cup, Issei shook his head to clear it out a little. "Ugh... Yeah, I just wasn't expecting some of them to be this... weird."

"Reserve the word 'weird' for when you meet the Four Satans. You'll know by then; they're the ones who fully deserve this title... Well, they and Sera..." The Gremory heir hesitatingly added the future Sitri head, wondering if it wasn't too harsh putting her next to the Underworld's leaders. Too harsh for Satans. "Luckily, none of them came to the ceremony."

"Lucky us," Issei chorused after him.

Invitations to Issei's adoption ritual, at least for the official part and the banquet, were sent to all Pillar Clans, as well as the Four Great Satans. However, the latter excused themselves with War matters and sent their serving clans as representatives. Issei couldn't remember them clearly through everyone who passed before him, but they were on the normal side of the crowd. There was someone from house Lucifuge who made an impression on him, but...

"Excuse me. Lady Gremory has sent me to escort you." A woman in Gremory's maid uniform entered the room, bowing her head before both teens. She had red hair styled in a braid and tied together, with face radiating with mature and refined beauty. If Issei had to assume her age, he'd say she wasn't older than the early twenties, but with Devils, that could mean hundreds of years. However, the image was broken by her blue eyes' blank stare and an impassive face, as well as her emotionless voice. Her overall behavior creeped Issei out a little and archived an impressive feat of making the Boosted Gear holder's libido drop down. "The Lady said it's time. Everyone has gathered in the ballroom."

"Y-yes, thank you." Raising up, Issei awkwardly tried to hide his stutter and followed after the woman.

"Looks like it's showtime. I'll be in the crowd when you'll be officially introduced; good luck. Aunt Lydia, I'll be leaving him in your capable hands." Dusting off his pants, Sirzechs left the two of them, whistling merrily as he strolled down the halls.

Uncomfortable silence came over them, as the maid stood there, still with not a single emotion on her face. Without any better idea of how to get rid of the heavy atmosphere, Issei said the first thing which came to his mind. "'Aunt' Lydia? Does that mean you're my aunt too? Should I also call you that?"

Her only reaction was a mechanical nod. "Yes." When Issei thought that it'd be all he will get from her, the woman continued. "My name is Lydia Gremory, I'm a cousin of Lord Zeoticus from a side branch of the family and work as the head maid. If Young Master wants to call me his aunt, it'll be my honor. Did that satisfy your curiosity?"

"Y-yeah." Being called 'Young Master' out of nowhere only added to Issei's overall uneasiness, but he couldn't just bring it out just like that. Besides, as Master Treon mentioned in one of their talks, people will try to suck up to him, so he had to get used to it. The Old Devil warned him there will be plenty of those who will try to 'get in bed with him' (and he also warned there will be cases where he should take that phase literally) as a way to get closer to Gremories, or use him in some other way. Apparently, Sirzechs was secluded from an early age because of his powers and was only allowed to interact with people since not long ago. And with a prince freed from his tower, suddenly, many small lords and fathers with overgrown ambition came to an idea to wed their daughters to the redheaded heir, or at least make them his concubines. At the end of their talk, the Sage also predicted, that part of those parents will try to use his relationship with Sirzechs for that. If that won't work, then Issei can always become the 'consolation prize'. It hadn't even started, but the newest Gremory had already hated politics.

Although as he looked at Lydia and her stoic figure, Issei was sure that was not the case. She was already part of the household, there was nothing to gain here. The maid, not aware of brunet's train of thoughts, bowed her head slowly.

"Then if that's all, let's move to the ballroom."

* * *

Standing before the doors to balcony beside the Lord and Lady Gremory, Issei nervously fixed his hair for the fifth time. Having sneaked a peek at those gathered in the ballroom, the newest Gremory now felt a paralyzing stage fright at the thought of speaking to that mass. What if he'll make a fool of himself? Forget about embarrassing himself – he had a weird feeling it wouldn't be for the first time – but he didn't want to do that to his new family. They extended a helping hand to him, and he couldn't call himself a man if he repaid them like that.

His train of thoughts was stopped by a warm hand, and an even warmer smile, from Venelana, who easily read what was in her second son's mind. Standing next to him in a pure-white dress, her motherly instinct told her exactly what this boy needed. "Don't worry extensively about the ceremony. You've already met those Devils, and if anything happens, I and your father will be there for you. Sirzechs, too; I'm sure he's supporting you from the crowd."

Feeling his emotions calming down nearing their normal levels, Issei answered with a smile which looked almost natural, but still had a portion of stiffness in it. "Thank you, Lady-" He suddenly stopped when Venelana's grip tightened. Remembering what he was told earlier, he shook his head and started again. "Thank you, Mother."

Beaming him even brighter smile, Lady Gremory nodded with approval. "'Mom' or 'Mommy' would be perfect, be we'll get there later." Turning to her husband, she gave him a sign they were ready.

At the second nod, this time towards the two servants, the great doors separating them from those gathered below opened. All talks were abruptly cut off at that, with everyone staring now at the Gremories. Being in the center of attention, Issei's hand almost reached for his hair again, but he stopped midair and tried to fake it into a wave towards everyone.

"Calm down, calm down. Think about boobs, they'll cool you off. Yes, think about boo- NO! Don't think about boobs! Boner is the last thing you need right now!"

With either another stage frights attack or boner coming, Issei forgot he was still waving. And down in the ballroom, one peculiar Devil noticed it, energetically jumping up and waving back to him with both hands.

"Ise, hey! Look here, it's me, Sera! Sirzy and Aju are here too! Ise!" Looking at Serafall screaming to him without any regard of the atmosphere a second ago, Issei felt like his stress slowly vanished. Talk about breaking the mood in the best moment, although he quickly had to avert his eyes from Sitri's assets going up and down with all that jumping. The pressure was gone, but the risk of his fighter rising up in front of everyone was still very much real.

This time, rescue came in the form of Zeoticus standing at the balustrade, whose voice echoed through the area. "I welcome everyone who showed up and thank you for coming here today. We shall witness the Gremory Clan officially welcome its new member, someone who saved my son Sirzechs and became a second son to me and my wife. Let me officially introduce him for the first time – Issei Gremory!"

As he walked to his father, except for Serafall's enthusiastic applause, no one said a word. Up there, he was like a piece of meat for sale. Allies of Gremory Clan weighted how useful he would be for the family, their rivals thought about how to use him and gain more power, fathers looked for marriage material in him, and the rest just watched what would happen. Zeoticus and Sirzechs already explained it all to him in-between greeting different families, but after the tenth family, he'd lost who among Pillars was a friend and who wasn't.

"Politics sucks," the teen muttered under his breath.

"We don't know exactly whose son Issei is, but because of his energy pattern, we are sure he has Gremory Clan's blood. Thanks to that, we can skip the process of adjusting his energy to ours, and all that needs to be done before banquet are the blood exchange and oath. Are you ready?" Speaking the last part directly to Issei, Zeoticus took out an ornate dagger and held it between them.

As it was earlier explained to the teenager, old Devils loved ceremonies, speeches, and blood sacrifices, to the point that even adoption needed to have one. In the shortened version, first, both he and Lord Gremory had to give some of the magic-infused blood to each other, then play out a memorized dialogue – simple as that. He was extremely thankful that part of synchronizing energy was unnecessary. Laying for an hour inside a magic circle only in shorts was the last thing he wanted, especially due to his previous 'mental exercise'.

At the brunet's confirmation, his father raised the dagger and quickly cut his right hand. When the first drops of blood started to fall, Zeoticus handed the dagger to the teenager. Fixing his grip, Issei neared the blade to his palm and closed eyes. Because of his minuscule magical reserves when they rehearsed, Issei had problems with gathering the necessary power. That's why, for the past week, he relentlessly trained with the assistance of Ajuka till he reached a little over minimum level, but now, the magic inside him seemed to disappear.

"..."

Clenching his teeth, Issei felt a silent pressure coming from the crowd. He could already imagine it, as they laughed at him for not having enough magic for something even a child could easily do. Stage fright, weariness, whatever – he would be remembered from now as someone useless and pitiful. The worst first impression he could do. Staring at his hand with all his determination, to the point that sweat started to form on his forehead, he tried to gather every little drop of magic and push it in one place. Without much success.

 **-[Boost!]**

" _Oi, man! Can you please try not to embarrass me here?! I picked you and unlocked this cool gauntlet for you, so I don't know… maybe try to act as you mean it!_ "

Without any warning, his red gauntlet materialized on his left arm, shining with green light and doubling his power. With low murmur going below, Issei wanted to kick himself for forgetting about the Boosted Gear and its abilities. Calming down, as gathering the necessary magic was easy after that one boost, Devil noticed his weapon went through several small changes in look. The previously gold spikes had now turned black and there was a shining white pattern going down to them. As for the new voice, this time, he immediately attributed it to the weird cat/person from before.

" _Finally, this time you recognized me in one try! And those changes? Yeah, that's my fault... It looks like after I made myself at home here, some of my leaking power went into this thingy and slightly altered it._ " Issei wasn't sure what this mind-reading voice wanted, but he was grateful for his help right now. " _No worries. As it's almost the end of your tutorial, I thought I should give something. You'll have great entry into your new life, but remember: Only this one is a freebie, I'm not gonna help you anymore in the future even if you're dying. At least, not before you reach Balance Breaker._ "

After his last words, the cat's presence retreated back into the gauntlet, leaving Issei before he could even ask what he was talking about right now. But instead of vanishing inside it, the foreign power coursed through white glyphs, making them shine brighter than before.

 **-[Boost!]**

Feeling he'd lost control of his left hand, Issei watched as it made a quick spin with the dagger and pressed it against his hand. When the second boost activated and his power again doubled, Zeoticus' brews rose slightly in curiosity at what was happening.

 **-[Boost!] [Boost!]**

With cat's voice announcing other consecutive boosts, everyone stared at the gem shining with green light, surrounded by white of glyphs. Its owner wanted to know how it was able to activate without 10-second delay, while everyone else watched as Issei's previously non-existent aura started to gain pressure with every shout.

 **-[Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!] [Boost!]**

 **-[Explosion!]**

After tenth boost and release of all build up energy, something inside Issei told him that, at his level of power, the rebound would put him into a coma… maybe even kill him. Earlier, he experienced only three at the same time, and still almost fainted. From that time, he deduced every gear's activation was accompanied with a dose of exhaustion, initially delayed by the rush of energy, only to hit twice as hard when it ran out. However, right now, he didn't feel any of this. It had to be that 'one-time freebie' the cat mentioned, to let him make an impression on the gathering. Whatever his motive was, Issei wasn't one to let a gift like that go to waste.

He didn't know when he regained control of his left arm, yet the determined slash through his hand was all made by Issei. Guiding the overflowing magic, the teenager grabbed the red Devil's hand so their blood could flow into each other veins.

Lord Gremory perfectly masked his astonishment at what happened, behaving like it all was normal. He wasn't Clan Head for nothing, and in negotiations, keeping a straight face no matter the situation was essential. Yet, even his experience almost failed to hide a smirk when he subtly looked at Devil aristocracy below. Rumors travelled faster than wind, which was even truer in Underworld. Just a day after the announcement of the ceremony, information of the new Gremory circled through most levels of their society. With the 72 Pillars and 4 Satans invited, details on everything regarding Issei were especially sought after by them. All of that made spy agencies and information dealers earn massive fortunes in only two days, by selling everything there was to know about him up now. From his power range and his amnesia, to his portraits and favorite food, everything was sold… not that the Gremory Clan tried very hard to hide those things. In fact, at Lady Gremory orders, some of the information was quietly provided by them, as it would leak anyway, and this way, they could at least get something out of it.

That made Zeoticus' amusement even bigger, when all those Devils, so sure of their spies telling them Issei was powerless, saw him emitting power equal to some of stronger Devils in the young generation. The best sight was a case of Count Malthus who gaped open-mouthed at them, and after getting himself together, ferociously berated someone from among his attendants.

Focusing again on their ritual, Zeoticus summoned his family crest, shining under their intertwined hands, which shone brighter when first red drops landed on it. Illuminated by its light, Lord Gremory continued the ceremony with a serious face.

"With everyone here bearing witness to this, I, Zeoticus Gremory, head of the Gremory Clan and a Duke of the 72 Pillars offer thee place as one of my flesh and blood. Should thy accept, from this day on, thine name shall be Issei Gremory, and thine shall be recognized by all as a member of mine family, with all favors and duties fitting this role." As his words sounded through the hall, a blood-red rose appeared from the magic circle, which pulsed and grew with every scarlet drop falling. Apparently, what appeared during this part depended on which clan performing it, and what they had as their sigil.

As it was now his turn, Issei bowed his head and answered with a memorized quote. "Grateful for your offer, I humbly accept your generosity and promise to repay your kindness. I swear to fulfill my future duties and work for the prosperity and safety of my new clan. As you take me as your son, I take you as my father and your family as mine. With those present here as a proof of my oath, should I ever break it, strip me of my name and make me a Stray, hunted by everyone." With more blood fed to the flower as he spoke – far more casually than the formal Zeoticus – by the time he finished, the rose had reached their hands and coiled around them.

With his turn being the last part, Zeoticus placed his free hand on the pulsating rose and released his wings. "Thine oath is accepted. Welcome, Issei Gremory!" The magic circle under the rose disappeared, making it immediately wither and flake and fly away. Following his example, as they let go of their hands, Issei showed his wings as well. Bowing in respect to his father, the now-official newest member of the Gremory Clan turned to the gathered Devils and waited for their reaction.

"…"

 **CLAP! CLAP! CLAP!**

Amid the silence, which for Issei lasted an eternity – though merely seconds passed – someone started clapping slowly. As the applause spread among the Devils, Issei searched for the one who initiated it. Whom he found there was familiar teenage crimson-haired Devil standing in the crowd and smiling to him.

"And now, it's time for a party!" With his voice enhanced with magic, Zeoticus announced, resulting in more energetic applause and servants bringing dishes inside. Giving his son reassuring pat on the back, Lord Gremory turned back to the doors. "Come on, they're waiting for us."

* * *

With the ceremony ended, the party entered another phase. Amid lavishly suited tables with servants carrying trays maneuvering between them, the Devil aristocracy formed small groups, discussing the new Gremory, his performance, or completely separate matters like war or political situation, or new trends in fashion – every group was busy with their own topics. And at the top table, Issei Gremory sat alone, with different groups from time to time stealing a glance at him and his left hand, but overall keeping their distance. While he was right regarding the lack of rebound from his Sacred Gear, the psychical strain of being under Devils' stares got him good, and he now just wanted to relax in relative peace.

Even though everyone around him was a Devil, and they all had a mansion somewhere in the Underworld, for Issei, this place right now was paradise. What Sōma served for him earlier was great, but the dished which laid before him now were of a totally different dimension. The lightness of the meal, taste, aroma – everything worked in perfect harmony, making him think his clothes were about to fly off him any second. While that actually wouldn't be so bad, the presentation didn't make his suit any more comfortable; quite the opposite in fact.

"You look like you're enjoying yourself." Turning left, Issei came face-to-face up close with the familiar beauty of Sitri Clan, smiling at him brightly. Her sudden appearance and distance between them almost made young Devil either choke on his food, or involuntarily spit it out, but he managed to contain it into a loud cough. Without giving him time to calm down, Serafall dived next to him and snatched some out of his dish, which quickly vanished inside her mouth. Judging by her reaction, she also was transported into food heaven, as her smile was beaming so brightly it could almost be classified as Holy Light. "Mmm, Sōma and his dad outdid themselves this time."

While Sitri was melting over his plate, Issei regained his composure and took a closer look at the girl. Still, in her wing-like blue dress, her black hair flowed down like two streams, emphasizing her beautiful face. What Sirzechs said had some truth in it, she _had_ caught his attention, and Issei felt attracted to her. But he could manage without his remark; his harem was his private matter.

When the teenager finally noticed his partner stopped going through his food and was now looking at him, it dawned on him he was staring at her for a moment without saying anything. "Sorry… Lady Serafall, how can I help you?"

Bringing back her smile, which Issei started to considering asking a passing servant for something to protect his eyes, Serafall put down her (actually his) treat and nabbed him lightly at the forehead. "It's Sera. _Se-ra._ You're now Sirzy's brother and he is my close friend, so that makes you at least a closer-than-normal friend. And as I'm calling you Ise, it's only natural." Moving her finger away and grabbing his hand, she dragged him up with surprising strength. "I promised you earlier I'll find you at the party. So I came here to congratulate you on your performance and get my reward for helping you."

"'Helping me'? With what?" Issei repeated after her, as he was dragged deeper into the room and the crowd. He noticed more eyes followed them, with whispers erupting around them. Not that the Devil holding him with her soft and warm chest and arms seemed to care, as she led them closer to the center.

"It was Sera who started that applause during that long silence. I was right next to Sirzy and Aju, so they quickly followed, but _I_ was first! And now, we're about to have an opening dance! You won't let the lady down, won't you?" Turning to him, she stopped and explained to him carefreely. Finishing with a pout and sparky eyes aimed at him, Issei couldn't do much else than a just nod in agreement.

Either way, he wouldn't refuse a beauty inviting him to dance, although his manly side berated him for not inviting her first. Normally, it should be a man extending the invitation, but Issei started to notice that with Serafall, 'normal' rarely played a big role. The Gremory was also a little worried about his dancing skills, but thanks to Lady Venelana adamantly stating he had to dance, during last week, he'd learned enough to at least not embarrass himself.

"Of course not! Lead the way, my lady." At least acting cool and saving some of his manly honor, Issei answered her with passion, only to be again dragged by her, all smiling. That way, before he noticed, they arrived at the empty space – the dance floor. When he noticed the polished panels, a dreadful realization dawned on him. Until now, he'd pushed it in the corner of his mind, throwing at it some of his more perverted fantasies to distract himself, but there was no more escape now. As Venelana explained to him earlier, the first dance which was to open it for everyone else belonged to the star of the ceremony.

Namely, him.

Which meant that now, he was supposed to make a full circle around the parquet with Serafall alone, and then dance with her as more pairs joined in. His mother promised to ask one of her lady friends to help him with this, and then allow him to vanish unnoticed, but now that he accepted the blue Fairy-Devil's invitation, he couldn't just tell her no. And with all those eyes they attracted, the chance to sneakily leave was also gone.

"You ready?" His partner waited for his move, as the musicians ready themselves to start playing, and basically everyone else around them. After unknowingly digging himself this hole, all that was left for him was to go on and pray to whomever Devils pray to that Lady Gremory's lesson paid off.

Nodding, as he didn't trust his throat, Issei put his right hand on Serafall's waist, with his left gently holding her right side. With all attention focused on him, Issei was so nervous, he couldn't even feel any excitement from how close he was to a beautiful girl right now. Or how nice her perfumes smell, or how her breasts almost touched him…

Alright, maybe he was _a little_ excited.

Giving a sign to the band, he led them out when the first waltz notes sounded through the hall. Stiff, and fully focused to not miss any steps, Issei felt his hands starting to sweat, with small stains forming on his back. He could feel a catastrophe coming, like stepping on Sera, or her dress, or stumbling and dragging both of them down, or…

"Hahaha!" Peerless laughter dragged him out to the ground, and when he raised his eyes from his feet, he saw Serafall there, laughing openly. "It feels like I'm dancing with a mannequin. Relax, nothing bad's gonna' happen. You're doing great for your first time." To prove her words to him, the girl momentarily let go of the hand and did a twirl, then grabbing him again and continuing their dance.

Trying to follow what she told him, Issei indeed noticed dancing became easier. He even started to feel good from this, mostly because Serafall was a great dancing partner. Matching her tempo with his, reading his movements and subtly correcting him right before he was about to make some mistake.

"Does it hurt?" At first, Issei was clueless what she was talking about, but then he realized Serafall was asking about his bandaged hand on her waist.

"No, it stopped bleeding right after that rose disappeared. Now, it only stings slightly, but it's nothing serious," he answered, grateful the ritual had mostly healed his hand. He didn't want to accidentally dirty this blue dress with his blood. It would ruin the mood, and it would seriously be a shame to destroy such a beautiful thing.

"Good." Suddenly tightening her hold on him, the whole air around Sitri heir changed. Her ever-smiling face was now dead serious, her bright aura which blinded him earlier now emitted cold so intense it almost froze the leftover sweat on his back. "Now we won't be interrupted by anyone, and no one will hear us through the music, tell me honestly what do you think about everything's happening and what are your intentions. Don't try to lie to me, Issei. I _will_ know when you do."

The Gremory couldn't say what scared him more: the complete transformation of the girl before him, the icy tone she spoke with – which he somehow felt no matter how hard he tried he wouldn't escape from – or the fact she used his full name for the first time. It all hit him hard enough he forgot his steps, but Serafall once again corrected his moves, sending a clear message for him to keep dancing.

But when the shock wore off him, his fear decreased a little. Serafall was Sirzechs's trusted friend, as well as heir to one of the main Clans. No matter her intentions, with all those Devils watching, she wouldn't do anything harmful to him. And if she wasn't after his life, he should be able to resolve this with talking… at least, he hoped so, for his memory didn't reach far, knowing well enough it wasn't his strongest side. After trying to calmly think it through, Issei decided telling her everything honestly was the best option, as he knew whatever lie he could come up within this short time wouldn't fool her at all.

"I'm grateful for what Father and Mother did for me. Even if I somehow helped Sirzechs, they took me in, a complete stranger whom no one knew. They gave me home when they didn't have to, and currently are risking their reputation to protect me from ending up as a test subject. On top of that, they're showing me how to live in a society and don't ask me to grovel before them, treating me like their true son. It wasn't long since I joined them, but everything I said during my oath was true. I'll sooner cut my hand off than betray them and Sirzechs." Letting his emotions flow through him, Issei grabbed Serafall stronger and pulled her closer, taking the more direct lead in their dance, much to her surprise. He was the one most surprised by his action, though, and by the end of his speech, he felt if this continued for another two minutes, he would do something utterly stupid.

Like grab her boobs, or kiss her, or both. He wasn't made for the role of those handsome guys, throwing cool lines and making girls around them fall in love with them.

As for Serafall, after her initial surprise, her face was unreadable, not showing any significant reaction as Issei went on. After he finished, for a moment she continued with her cold persona, only for then to sport a wide smile and turn back into her initial self.

"Great! That means I don't have anything to fear from you about Sirzy, and you won't disappear in my magic beam. He's still sometimes too trusting after living alone for so long, and we have to watch out for him." Without even a trace of that terrifying 'Serafall', the girl was again all sunshine and rainbows. Hardly anyone knew this carefree lady could turn into a deadly monster ready to wage war against Heaven alone if she thought someone close to her was in danger. The closer she was to someone, the easier and the more visible her change would be. All realms should fear the day she gets a child or a sibling, and the moment they got hurt. When in the past Ajuka accidentally brought that idea in their talk with Sirzechs and Falbium, all three couldn't fight the sudden shiver. "In that case, I hope we will be great friends in the future, Ise. But we've already danced through three songs now, and I have to go. Can't keep the main guest all to myself, can I? Bye!" And just like that, while waving to him, Serafall let go of him and vanished into the crowd.

"Women are scary..." Issei whispered under his breath, not sure what to think of all of that. Still pondering on what happened, he barely made few steps to sit down and rest, when he was swept by a girl who introduced herself as a daughter of some smaller lord and led back on the dancing floor.

* * *

After Serafall left him, Issei fell into the grasp of young daughters of Devil nobles, older ladies who're now suddenly related to him through someone, and widows who tried to make themselves look like teens. He couldn't believe it himself, but actually dancing with all those new aunties and whatever was the most pleasant of them all. They just wanted to see him, know what kind of kid got into the Gremory family, ask him some questions without anyone else hearing. Some asked where he came from, other of what that power he used during the ceremony was, or what his plans for the future were. Fortunately, none of them was as intense as Serafall, and mostly let him go after he told them he didn't remember or wasn't sure. He even got to dance with Lady Sitri, who after some more talk, turned to be really nice, even asking if her daughter hadn't imposed at him too much.

But the other two groups? At first, the Gremory liked how they complimented him or laughed at his jokes, but hearing all the same lines quickly bored him. Those prettier ones thought one smile at him and a good word was enough to make fall for them. If not for the shock that he got from Sera, that could even be true. However, after her transformation, their performance was shallow and easy to see through.

"So tired..." Releasing long sigh, Issei dropped on a chair in an empty corridor. Or, maybe, not empty at all, as he noticed someone sitting in the shadows a few meters away. Using some of his leftover energy, the teenager gave an unknown man apologetic bow. "Sorry for disturbing you. I thought that there's no one here."

With a dismissive wave, the man moved out of the shadows, showing himself. The unknown Devil was really tall, and also from what Issei could see through his clothes, very muscular, with a lush red beard (although close to Zelvon's length) and a military cut. For a second, Issei was sure the one standing before him was Zeoticus hiding behind a fake beard, but then he noticed a part of his hair was dimmer, graying. Besides, the musculature didn't match. Staring at him with bright blue eyes, the man walked up to him. "No need to. In fact, I was waiting for you. Can you by any chance guess who I am?"

Having some idea who was the person before him, Issei said the first thing who came to his mind. "Are you my grandfather?"

Smiling with satisfaction, the older Devil nodded. "I see you're quick to the uptake. Yes, I am Zeoticus' father, my name is Dagenic, and I'd like you to call me that. 'Grandfather' makes me feel older than I am. My son was really lucky to get a child at such a young age after I handed him Clan's Head position. But because of that, I look a few hundred years older in comparison. Although I have to say I'm happy to see you already got used to being part of the Gremory Clan." He commented on how Issei naturally called him 'his' grandfather, instead of Sirzechs', for example.

"That's because Mother, for the last week, kept saying to me that I am now a part of the family, and the ceremony is just formality. So you could say that I already have some practice." Dagenic must've liked his answer, as he laughed and shook his head. "Can I ask why were you waiting here for me?"

"I already had my fill at the party, and as some people are waiting for you, I thought I might as well sit here in relative silence until you show up. I also wanted to use this chance to talk to you one-on-one. Now, walk with me a little." Waving a hand for Issei to follow, his grandfather walked down empty halls. They could hear the muffled sounds of the party going on, but there were no servants anywhere or nobles trying their luck with maids. Just the two of them, walking into the unknown.

Questions kept piling up for Issei as they went further, especially since Dagenic said he wanted to talk to him, yet still had to say a single word. When even the faint sounds of music left them, the teen's curiosity got the better of him. "Weren't we supposed to talk? Also, who is waiting for me, if that's not a secret?"

Stopping, Dagenic's eyes inspected his grandson from head to toe, before he finally spoke slowly. "Silence – and how it ends – can sometimes say more about a person than a thousand words. But I indeed have things I want to ask you, so let's say that's enough of it. As for your other question, it _is_ indeed secret, but not one to be kept from you. While it's true that none of the Four Satans attended your adoption, what others don't know is that Lucifer sent one of his servants here. A young member of the Lucifuge Clan, around your age."

"I see..." the brunet mumbled, thinking what kind of person the Satan's representative would be like, and more importantly, what business they had with him. Zeoticus explained to him the political impact of him becoming a Gremory, while also touching about how his new name protected him to some extent and what could happen to him without it. And when most predictions varied from bad to complete shit, with the Satans playing some kind of role in them, Issei wasn't exactly ecstatic to meet anyone associated with them any time soon.

Feeling the stare on him intensifying, Issei looked at Dagenic. The older Devil smirked when Issei didn't avert his eyes and fastened their pace. "They told me that you fought with a Fallen Angel back then. How did it feel?"

"Umm..." With a sudden change of topic, Issei stumbled a little. "It felt good… I mean, losing, being stabbed and almost dying were horrible. But that rush while exchanging blows, trying my best while facing each other… It felt good."

Without any reaction, Dagenic kept asking him other questions, like what were his likes, dislikes, all those light topics. The more they talked, the easier and more approachable the old Gremory became, making Issei feel that he was really talking with his grandfather. Their talk came to end when they arrived before the doors, which had a little light coming from under them and some muffled voices.

"Before we enter..." Now completely changed in tone, Dagenic was now grinning under his beard. His earlier impassive eyes were now shining with joyful sparks, changing the vibe around him. Surprising Issei, the older Devil messed his hair up with a laugh, followed by strongly patting his back and making him cough. "… after our talk, I accept you as my grandson. I still want you to call me by my name; I wasn't joking about feeling old. But I see you're an honest kid, not some upstart going after my family name. If you'll ever have any troubles, or want some man's talk, I'm all ears."

Without further delay, they entered the room. In the well-illuminated space, four Devils were waiting for them. Three of them were his parents and Sirzechs, talking to the forth unknown person standing with their back towards the doors – the rumored servant of Lucifer. They had silver hair tied in a braid and wore a silver robe with lots of detailed accents on it. At the appearance of the two, the eyes of all Gremories shifted from their guest, cutting off the conversation.

"I've brought him to you. We talked along the way, and I have to congratulate you on your pick, Zeoticus. I like him." Dagenic unceremoniously walked past them, sparing a nod to the silver-haired Devil and sat down in a corner, pouring himself wine.

"Yes, thank you, Grand General Gremory." The Lucifuge bowed before the graying Gremory, then turned to Issei. He was young Devil with a handsome face and crimson eyes which bored into brunet, judging his usefulness and character. It was a sensation the new Gremory got used to by the course of the day, being in the same situation with much more intimidating individuals than this one. Issei tried to answer with the same kind of look, which was answered with a brief sarcastic smirk, only for it to vanish the next moment. "Greetings. I am Euclid Lucifuge, serving under orders of His Majesty, Lord Lucifer."

"… Issei Gremory."

"Yes, yes, I know! You've become quite famous. The Devil with a Sacred Gear, 'Savior of the Gremory Heir', and soon after, their adopted son. My master sent me here to greet you in the Underworld back from Fallen Angels' captivity. In fact, Lord Lucifer feels _so_ guilty for not protecting one of his subjects, and also _so_ impressed that you managed to survive, that he has sent you two gifts! The first one is this dagger made of Underworld Silver. My master hopes that it will save your life in the future for any time he failed to."

Reaching to his robe, Euclid handed Issei a wooden box with Lucifer's crest on it. Hesitantly accepting it, the teenager slowly opened the gift. Inside laid the dagger with a long thin blade, shining with dim radiance. The weapon looked expensive and gave a powerful feeling, even though Issei only heard of the metal it was made of for the first time. While he was busy admiring it, Euclid continued with a wide smile.

"The blade was made by one of the finest smiths and enchanted with powerful magic, making it incredibly durable and sharp. As for the rest, the hilt is made of dragon leather, and the pommel has crests of both the Lucifer and Gremory Clans on either side. It was made especially for you at His Majesty orders."

Issei wasn't sure what the weapon standards were for Satans, but after hearing Lucifuge, was certain that dagger must've been something incredibly valuable. Like the special swords from somewhere with ice and fire, where the dead walked… Issei didn't know where he got that thought, but he somehow got that thought in his head… right with another one, which stated if he tried to return it to the giver by slitting his throat, he'd end up as a pile of nameless ashes. Pushing away the suicide visions, Issei looked at his father for how he should react, at which Zeoticus gave him approving nod.

Closing the box, Issei bowed his head with respect and said the most appropriate words he could think of. "I'm grateful for Lord Lucifer's generosity from the bottom of my heart, and accept this great gift, even though it's too grand. I'm sure whatever happened to me isn't his fault, and there was no helping it."

"Exactly as our son said," Venelana spoke up, turning to Issei. "Before you came here, we've already discussed the second gift with Euclid, but unfortunately, we have to refuse it. Lord Lucifer offered to give you special tutelage from some of his finest servants, and when you reach an appropriate level of power, a place in his personal guard. However, as we've already prepared for you a place to learn and made all the arrangement, we can't just break them, bringing troubles both to us and Lord Lucifer himself."

At those words, Lucifuge respectfully bowed to Lady Gremory and to everyone present, with his smile still in the same position. "Of course, we Devils always keep our word. I shall pass it to my master, but please remember the place among his guards will be waiting if Issei Gremory feels like joining. I'm sure by that time, his strength will more than enough. Now, if you'll excuse me, I should go. Officially, I was never even here."

"Indeed, I will call for a maid to lead you silently outside of the mansion. Send our best regards to your master." Zeoticus nodded while summoning a small magic circle. Shortly after, a maid showed in the doors, bowing before them.

"My lords. Lady." Euclid bowed gallantly, before following after the maid.

When his figure vanished behind the doors, both Zeoticus and Venelana released relieved sighs. Walking up to his father, Lord Gremory grabbed a full goblet and downed it in one go. "Even speaking through a servant, Lucifer deserves the title of 'Silver-Tongued Devil'."

"I think we managed this one nicely. Thanks to your preparation beforehand, we avoided the worst; we will deal with the rest later." His wife calmed his worries. Walking up to Issei, she engulfed him in a warm hug, which sent teen's head spinning by her scent and soft sensation. "For now, you're safe and finally, we can call you our son in public. But now Lucifuge has left, we can tell you the other reason why we called you and Sirzechs here."

Letting go of Issei, Venelana walked up to her husband and father-in-law. The three of them looked at the – until now – silent redhead with stern faces, sending a slight chill down the brunet's spine. Right now, they weren't being doting parents, but rather heads of a great Devil Clan. "First, Sirzechs. You've carelessly rushed into battle without sending any message or requesting help from us, endangering yourself as well as our whole family. You're the heir to the Gremory Clan, and if you were to die or be captured, it would be a vital strike against us. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Father," Sirzechs answered, standing up.

"Good. You returned safely and even rescued out troops, yet the fact that you've endangered our family still stands. As for that, I'm withdrawing you from the War, but you won't return to the mansion. Your grandfather offered to change your punishment from house arrest to posting you to serve as his aide and servant for time being. Do you agree to that?" Speaking coldly, Zeoticus explained his son's standpoint and gave him a choice of punishment. Issei was sure either Mother or Dagenic were going to oppose it; however, none of them said anything. When Zeoticus finished, the father's and son's eyes met for a second, and the brown-haired Gremory thought a smile flashed on their faces for a second, but that must've been his imagination.

"Yes, Father." Agreeing without any reaction, Sirzechs proceed to sit, but stopped mid-air when Issei jumped before him.

"Wait a second, Father! Sirzechs-" Issei tried to speak up in his brother's defense but was mercilessly cut off.

"Enough, that matter is already closed."

"But..." Issei, once again, opened his mouth to argue it was unfair, but this time, Sirzechs himself stopped him.

"Give up, there's no need for you to say anything." Then, so quiet only his brother could hear it, redhead whispered. "Besides, it's not a punishment, but a reward instead."

Issei didn't understand what he talked about, but before he could ask, Lady Gremory spoke up, taking his chance to clear things up. "Now _you_ , Issei. Do you understand what happened here with Euclid?"

Leaving questioning Sirzechs for later, Issei pondered over what his mother asked for a moment. Because Lucifuge showed up in secret, so judging by his parents' reaction, there must've been some hidden reason for it. One which involved him, and most likely the device on his left hand. "He wanted something from me, am I right?"

"Indeed." Venelana nodded in conferment. "What Lucifer wants is the secret of how you have a Sacred Gear, and he's ready to cut you open for that. We've stopped him from that by adopting you into our family, but now, he wanted to have you for himself under the pretext of teaching you as an apology when he'd, in fact, have magicians scan every part of you. And if that didn't bring any results, he'd still have a Devil with Sacred Gear in his hand. Fortunately, we've avoided that by preparing a place for you in school in advance." Her words sent shivers down his spine. If the other three Satans also tried to 'recruit him', his future looked full of fake smiles and headaches.

Looking at the box in his hands, a sudden thought flashed in Issei head. "But if that's the case, shouldn't I also refuse that dagger? If people see me with it, everyone will think that I'm already on Lucifer side."

At that, Zeoticus shook his head. "They would say you disrespected him, and in the future, it'd be easier for them to put their hands on you in case you'd go against the law or made a mistake. We couldn't do anything else with it, and I'm sure other Satans will also send you their 'gifts'." Massaging his temples, the Gremory Head released a tired sigh.

"Besides, from what that brat said, you've got your hands on a fine blade." Not knowing when he got there, Dagenic towered over Issei's shoulder, looking at the dagger. Taking it out for closer inspection, old Devil tested its edge and did few thrusts, after which he handed it back with a satisfied smile. "It looks like Old Nick really wants you for himself. Underworld Silver itself is rare, and the rest is also of top quality. Don't lose it."

"Thank you, Father." Putting some paper on the table, Venelana spoke once again to her father-in-law and son, "We've already decided that Sirzechs will be helping you with your duties, so that leaves only Issei. Here, look at this."

Issei picked said paper up, and after reading through it quickly he looked up confused. "Wait… Is this…?"

"Yes. You were officially accepted into Treon's Academy as a student. You will also have supplementary classes to help you catch up with your peers, but if you work hard, there will be no problem."

* * *

 **AN: With that, ends first part, where Issei was introduced to his new world, and vice versa. In the next chapter, Issei's school life begins again, and some of the foreshadowed events will get the spotlight. The time-traveling Devil will have a bunch of problems before him, and start to learn how to use his powers. By the way, this time-traveling part gives a similar vibe to all those isekais popping up everywhere lately, am I right? Anyway, so-**

"STOP!" A wild overpowered human-cat appeared! "Don't try apologizing, every time you do this, the updates take longer and longer! If you do that, the next chapter will come out a year later, at least!" Looking around, the orange-eyed person turned around a few times in surprise, and knocked on the invisible wall. "Something's different... And who's the new guy?"

"Oh, I'm just the janitor."

"I see- WAIT! We're in an imaginary space; there's no trash here…!"

"Of course there are," the newcomer pointed out. "They're the drivels you're spouting out. Have to take care of them all the time."

 **He's the new guy that helps me and fixes my typos/other mistakes in here. And because he has the power to edit things in here, it makes him the second most powerful person right after me. Be nice.**

"OOO! So that's what's different! The text is a lot clearer now. Looks like I have to thank you for that, mister reality-changing janitor. I'm Septimus, creation of this guy with God complex that calls himself an author and put me in his every work. I hope we'll have fruitful cooperation in the future."

The extended hand was coldly left hanging in the air.

"Not really interested in a guy who just gives me more work. Let's shake hands once you've learned English properly, alright?" The silhouette sharply retorted, though his tone was eerily cheerful at the end. "Now, gotta' run!"

Septimus stared at the empty space where silhouette left, until...

"You asshole, come back here! I know my English! Blame that sorry excuse of a writer who makes me say all of this! So shake my hand an~" He erupted with anger, when suddenly all lights vanished.

 **Told him to be nice, but he didn't listen. So, ending here. I hope you liked it, and if you did leave a review behind. Now I'm going too, bye.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Mandatory A/N time: Greetings, my loyal readers, we've passed 150 followers and favorites are close behind! I, certainly not humble but likable author (I hope), am giving you this new piece of the story. I post it only a month later than I originally planned, but considering that along the way I've lost everything on my hard drive (chapter was half-done then) and then wrote it back, then scrapped it and changed parts. Adding that I finished last parts in-between writing projects and studying for exams, it could be worse.**

 **Also, a round of applause for ekaterina016 for his extra fast checking this out and cleaning my mess!**

 **Now, with my round of whining over, time for review answering corner.**

 **\- MeteorElDrago: Although answered in DMs, that more for everyone else that could be confused too. In chapter 3 my reality-bending cat moved in and because of him it slightly changed.**

 **-** **Sasuke75249: Nope, 0 Power of Destruction.**

 **\- Lazymanjones96: Here's what you asked for.**

 **And with that, I'm switching from bold to normal font, see you at the end if you read my rambling.**

* * *

The Underworld, where Devils ruled, had many great cities – yet undeniably, the crown jewel of them was Lilith, its capital, named after the mother of the whole race. Some would argue Lilith was the greatest in the whole Underworld. But for that title, it had to compete with the capital city of Fallen Angels. Located in territories which millennia ago were still developing, Grigori claimed. Stealing land from the First Rebel was one of the excuses used for starting the war which lasted to this day. Indeed, all of those proudly shouted reasons were just a cover for those ruling the three main Factions. If it's just about that, then they could negotiate. Hell was big enough plane to house more than just one race. Betrayals could be forgiven after eventual repayments, the dead could be buried for the living to have peace. Everything could stop, or even never take place, if only there was a will for it.

But as with every other war, be it human, divine or whatever else, the reason they started and lasted was much simpler: hate.

When groups hated each other so much they had no other option but to murder each other. Kill, until all but one side laid dead, or submitted out of fear greater than their hate. Some say they wage wars because they had to, for their people – but those are just fools. War always took more than it brought, and peaceful options were more beneficial, saving lives and resources wasted on fights. Yet, lust for wars delved deep in the hearts of all sentient beings. They masked it with great causes, such as for oppression or any other reason, just to hide the ugly truth. That they were capable of hate great enough, that it required them to take another's life.

He knew all that and accepted it, unlike Angels with their God. He wasn't sure about their fallen brethren; their leader was too hard to read to surely see his thoughts. But whatever was the answer, they still had to present their people with those ideals and ideas to strive and fight for, or someday, their subjects would realize the benefits of peace. He was no different, working with other Satans, each of them doing their part in leading the Devilkind and fueling their hate against other races.

"Lord Lucifer."

From his left, the voice of a kneeling person brought the contemplating Devil back. He was Lucifer Morningstar, one of the Four Great Satans, the Father of Devils, sitting on a throne in his private quarters. Those quarters were located on top of one of four towers overlooking the capital, filled with darkness deep enough to prevent even Devils' eyes from seeing through it. Each tower belonged to one of Satans, standing atop their palaces serving as their main houses. Lucifer once again turned his eyes towards the view, which included his own reflection on the windows.

Lilith, the heart of Hell, the city he watched rise from nothing among wastelands of Underworld, where the light of the Sun never touched. The city, which over the ages had changed and would keep changing, with its walls of black marble surrounding kilometers of buildings, streets and palaces bathed in the eternal dimness, was where thousands of High-Class Devils lived. The city from which he and his brothers ruled, their most prized possession. The city which in its realm could only be rivaled by the capital of Fallen Angels, Dudael, thought by foolish humans to be their prison. Nothing more mistaken, as it was their seat of power.

After staring at it for some time and seemingly not hearing the kneeling Devil, Lucifer finally looked at him. "Lucifuge." Acknowledging his servant's presence, Lucifer allowed him to stand up. "Tell me, why did you disrupt my solitude?"

Even with just those words, the Satan's voice held enough power and authority to cause silent guards standing by the doors to shiver, a deliberate maneuver to keep his image of power. Yet Lucifuge, his right-hand man, stood without a twitch, staring in the darkness where his master sat. "I've come to report my grandson, Euclid, has completed his task, my Lord."

"Oh?" Remembering what exactly his servant's descendant was tasked with, Lucifer's curiosity was instantly sparked. "Then speak, what was the result?"

"He's delivered your message and gift to Gremory's newest son. It went exactly as you've predicted. They knew you'd want him for yourself and countered it indirectly with the adoption. And as you've said, they accepted the blade to not offend you."

"Shame we weren't able to immediately seize him, but that was expected. Yes, politics are quite tangled matters, yet often predictable if you know enough about it. What was his perspective of the boy?"

"Euclid said he was weak, yet not as much as our spies claimed him to be. His display during the main ceremony especially brought many controversies, but also when he stood before him. It was too short of a time to say certainly, and there is much left to be desired about the precision of those measurements, yet there is a high possibility his growth rate is indeed monstrous."

Lucifer sat in silence for a moment, deciding about their next course of action. "I certainly hope he will grow to be a monster, as long as I can control him… Otherwise, he is just a waste of time…" Again, the room was filled with silence. "What about the other Satans?"

"They know about our actions, and we know that they know. Each has put their plans into motions, but I've already taken actions against that."

"Indeed? Then I trust you with this matter, be sure to bring pleasing news. Whether it be keeping our future asset away from my brothers, or… disposing of him if he's deemed useless."

"As you wish, my Lord." Concluding his business, Lucifuge bowed and quickly left the room.

Once again alone, Lucifer gazed back at the city. Yes, the Four Satans worked together, yet at the same time, they kept each other in check. They feared others would achieve what they wanted: gaining complete control over the rest. Quite peculiar was their mechanic, based on trusting in their distrust, and yet it worked. And as all events requiring his intervention were resolved, the Dark Prince's mind drifted to tranquility.

* * *

A week passed since his adoption ceremony. For Issei, it was a week mostly filled with preparations for his return to Treon's Academy, this time as a student. Yes, it was called 'preparations', but for him, it was getting through a pile of studying material and elementary classes, preparing him for even more elementary classes which awaited him in the academy. Trying to catch up to a Devil his age was a nightmare, and it was because of his damned amnesia he had to be taught things even Devil babies knew. At least now he was ready… for now, and the rest can be left for later.

Before his departure with Dagenic, Sirzechs warned him about three things he'd heard from Ajuka about the academy. First: to always wear his uniform, a modest version of Ajuka's tunic but grey, for any activities. Second: to not wander around the complex until he'd gotten to know it like the back of his hand, or he'd wander for days unless someone found him – to which Issei thought was a joke. Third: to never, _ever_ , be late for a class, unless he was ready to go through some elaborate punishment. According to Ajuka, the teachers were a bunch of sadists who loved putting young Devil in the most hellish situations, which the newest Gremory hoped with his whole heart was another exaggeration – or, better yet, just another joke and the academy's staff was actually full of nice and easygoing Devils.

And here was Issei, speeding through the corridor and breaking all three warnings on his first day. It was because someone accidentally sent a female version of uniform to the room which was to be his for the time he studied here. He'd quickly run to the dorm's head, a Devil without much of a background who got his position because of his hard work, where he was explained because there was also another new student, someone must've mixed their packages. As Issei waited for the guy to find his missing clothes, the big clock mercilessly showed less and less time for his class. Finally, when there was less than twenty minutes left, the teenager shouted for them to send the uniform to his room and run out.

Without his uniform and late, Issei'd crossed the last warning when he realized because all of that, he had forgotten the map of the Academy he was in. Unfortunately, the realization came only after he ran to the other building and made a few turns. While conveniently every corner was labeled with a letter and a number, those were useless for Issei right then. He must've also wandered into an unused wing or something, because every classroom around was closed and dead silent. Lost and almost late, with fifteen minutes left, known thanks to clocks which were under every sign, the brunet used his ace in the sleeve.

 **\- [Boost!]**

 **\- [Explosion!]**

Not everything he did for the last week was just concerning books and boring school subjects. After the commotion and that weird… someone's intervention, Issei started to fully appreciate Sacred Gear on his hand. If it really had no other limit of boosts than his stamina, then that thing would end up pretty broken in the future. And to aim for and secure this future, he made sure to train at least an hour daily. Even when his brain was steaming with all the knowledge hammered into it, the young Gremory forced himself to activate the red gauntlet, trying to push his limits a little further. He was still worlds away from effortlessly activating ten boosts while skipping the cooldown, but for now, raising his limit to four boosts without fainting, and feeling nothing but the shortness of breath after one, was good enough.

"Let's go!" With his running speed increased, Issei started his last-resort plan: running around, hoping to bump into someone who could point him the way. Which was what he was doing earlier, but now he was faster and started shouting. With his steps muffled by the thick carpets laid everywhere, most likely there to allow big groups to move around without disturbing those inside, the lost student picked a random direction and sprinted.

"Hello?! Is anybody out there?!" Passing lots of closed doors and turns with different letters and numbers on them, Issei felt his last bits of hope of getting to his class vanish. He even thought if he should get another boost or two to go even faster, but eventually decided to leave it for when he'd had less than two minutes left. One of the clocks he's passed showed there were still ten minutes, and he didn't want to drop on his face from the Sacred Gear's backlash right after entering his classroom.

"Finally, someone's here! Can you please help me~?"

Finally, after more running, someone answered. As he ran at full speed, a wobbly person got out from behind a corner, holding to a wall. And before Issei could slow down, they've suddenly tripped right on his path. Sensing catastrophe in the making, the brunet jumped to the left out of instinct to avoid a painful crash for both of them.

Yet the Sacred Gear possessor only trained with its power for only a week and wasn't accustomed to the difference in his increased speed and strength. While his coordination was enough to land on a normal surface, a bulge hidden in the fluffy fabric successfully used his speed to bring him down. His attempts to regain balance ended unsuccessfully and Issei landed few meters away. "Ugh, I didn't mean to 'bump into someone' literally... And I have to work on my landings, it's not the first time where I fell..." Massaging his forehead, the teen quickly remembered about the other person. "Are you alright?!"

 **\- [Reset!]**

His gauntlet announced loudly and disappeared. "N-Not really."

Turning around, the first thing Issei noticed about them was the cascade of long silver hair, instantly bringing back memories of Euclid. The face behind was also frighteningly similar, with the same red eyes and facial features. However, when his eyes drifted down, he was instantly sure it wasn't Lucifer's messenger before him. If there was any truth in the world, breasts were it, and there was no way guy could have tits of _this_ size and magnitude. Issei's perverted side could almost feel the aura they emitted, ranking her right next to Serafall. After a few years to fully mature, he was sure this pair will end up rivaling those of Lady Gremory's herself, who held first place in his personal rating.

Looking back on it, her voice was also too high for a man. "But don't worry, it's not your fault! It's because I hurt my leg that I fell, not the other way."

That put stop to Issei placing the new girl either above or below Sera. As a devote believer in women's beauty, leaving such matter was irritating, but a true marvel couldn't be admired when a girl was in pain or suffering. His devotion pushed him to help her to best of his abilities, for the truth of the beauty and its apex: breasts! "Can I help you? Is it anything serious?" Then, words of Lady Gremory about etiquette between Devils in high society rung in his head. "Ah, sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. Issei Gremory." Introducing himself as a 'Gremory' was still a little forced for him, but he was getting there. Still unnatural, but at least he didn't stumble.

"Ah!" Strangely, the girl gasped at his name. Or Issei hoped it was at his name, not because he broke some unknown rule of greeting. "My name is Grayfia Lucifuge; nice to meet you. I'm sorry, but you've become well-known in the Underworld lately."

Right, he was the hot topic of gossips, that's why she gasped. Humming, Issei nodded at her words, but then her name finally got to him. "Wait, 'Lucifuge'? Like, in 'Euclid Lucifuge'?" His eyes once again scanned the girl before him. Her resemblance to that guy was striking; they must be family. Her clothes were just like his – normal wear instead of a uniform, a light dress in ice-blue color. So what she was doing here?

"He's my younger brother," came the short answer. The Gremory's brain immediately started searching who would send her, and for what reasons. The most obvious answer was she was sent by Lucifer to keep an eye for him, and maybe some other reasons too. And the fact someone of his caliber took so much interest in him to constantly watch him sent chills down his spine. "Do you know him? Unfortunately, you won't meet him here. We applied to enroll here a year ago, but a few months later he changed his mind and joined our grandfather in serving Lord Lucifer directly. I only arrived today, but I've sprained my ankle and I don't think I'll show up to my class."

All theories instantly crumbled. If she already planned to attend here a year ago, then there was no way she was here for him. Or no, maybe her being here _was_ a coincidence, but Satan used this as an opportunity to gather info. Or if Lucifer was this strong, maybe he could travel in time, then set his agent a year earlier to get into the same school he did, and-

Alright, he was getting ridiculous. For now, he'd better leave it and discuss it with someone later.

"Why don't you just teleport there?" In the first instance, Issei wanted to ask why she didn't fly, but then he'd remember the Academy rules: flying inside was prohibited under any reason unless there was a threat to someone's life. As to why, he had no idea, but the punishment for that was a suspension and compulsory combat training, so he understood why she'd avoid that.

"It's impossible. Almost all buildings in the Underworld have interference spells put on them, some with designated areas allowing it. It's in building regulations that everyone who wants to build anything bigger than a shack has to get permission from the land's lord, where among others he or she gets a standard interference seal. It's there to decrease the risk of surprise attack of other Factions, and anyone without incredibly high magic skills is unable to teleport," Grayfia explained in a calm, lecturer-like voice.

"OK, thanks. You're rather knowledgeable, you know?" Issei offhandedly complimented her, to which she smiled proudly. It must've meant much to her for someone to notice her talent; however, Issei missed that, as he at that moment looked up at the clock. "My first class about general politics starts in five minutes, and I have no idea how to get there since I lost my map. I may as well be late more and help you with your ankle." The boy turned back to the silverette sporting a mischievous smirk. His confidence was all fake, stories about the teachers echoing in his mind, but there was no way he could leave a beautiful girl in a situation like that, so he could at least look cool in front of her.

"Is it with Master Weich? I was also heading there, so if you want I can point you in the right direction… And maybe you should leave me here and go alone, fast… I've heard stories… about teachers..." In the end, Grayfia's voice was almost too quiet to hear. Her answer made Issei certain there was at least _some_ truth in those rumors. But at the same time, it gave him an idea.

"Do you think if I run there, I'd make it?" He asked, making the girl slightly drop, but she quickly masked it with a polite smile.

"Yes, you should, if you're fast enough. It's the second corner to the left, then~"

Issei quickly cut her off. "Wait!"

 **\- [Boost!]**

"Sorry?" Grayfia asked uncertainly, staring at the red gauntlet which appeared at Gremory's arm.

"Just give me ten seconds," Issei asked, waiting full of tension.

 **\- [Boost!]**

 **\- [Explosion!]**

"Alright, I'm ready!" With new energy coursing through him, Issei stretched and popped his joints. "Sorry, it's gonna' be a little bumpy, so hold on tight and just tell me where to turn."

"What?!" An uncontrolled scream escaped girl when Issei suddenly lifted her and sprinted with Grayfia being princess-carried. "WA-WA-WA-WAIT!"

* * *

The classroom Serafall currently sat in was more like a small version of an assembly hall than a normal class. Their seats were lined up in a half-circles with ascending concentric rows, all facing to the center where their teacher stood at the podium. The room was filled with various Devils their age, talking in their groups, all of them wearing the same sets of robes except for one or two. The black-haired heiress was of those few, with her robe painted deep blue. She sat in the upper part of the room, almost at the right end of her line, her eyes jumping between the doors and the clock on a wall.

"You seem awfully distracted, Sera."

To her right sat one irritating redhead, leaning on a wall and chewing on some squid. When he noticed the Sitri was now looking at him, he grinned with a squid leg between his teeth, raising her annoyance levels even higher. "You know well I'm worrying about Ise, Sōma! Auntie told me to watch over him and help him with his studies. He was supposed to show up today, and he's not here," the girl nervously answered, thinking why Issei still didn't show up from those doors.

"Relax. Does he even know we're in the same class, or that Lady Venelana asked you anything?" The young chef dismissively waved it off with another part of squid. "Maybe he got caught up unpacking in his new room, or just took a wrong turn and will show up any minute. Or maybe he just thought it'd be nice to use last bit of freedom and ditch the class which sounded the most boring."

"Shaddup!" Serafall angrily stole her friend's box of snacks – although she thought eating squid as a snack was a weird choice – and impulsively bit into one. Puffing at laughing boy, she had to admit her prize was surprisingly tasty, causing more laughter as she reached for more. "Auntie said Ise was eager to start learning here, there's no way he would skip anything... that fast. And even if he doesn't know about us, that doesn't change anything. I just wanted to surprise him with friendly faces when he thought he'd be all alone here."

"Everyone," the teacher's voice sounded over chatting room, "quiet down, we're starting. First..."

 **\- THUD!**

"*huf* Excuse me! *pant*" The classroom doors were flung open, showing a panting brunet boy holding a silver-haired girl.

"...you are?" The teacher, a blond Devil named Weich without any distinctive features besides his gray eyes, asked after a second of silence. Immediately, the room erupted in hushed talks, which he ignored for now, focusing solely on the two children before him. None of them wore a standard student's robe, nor a teacher's one like his, and with the girl being held in the air, they stood out quite obviously. Another interesting thing was the red-and-black gauntlet on the boy's hand, drawing his eyes and telling him he should somehow recognize it.

Among furiously whispering students, who started weaving theories who two intruders were, a pair of particular Devils immediately recognized their friend. Serafall stood up and was about to call out to Issei, but before she could do that, Sōma dragged her down and covered her mouth.

With her carrier-slash-savior-slash-assaulter still unable to talk normally, Grayfia gave him a sign to put her down. Hiding her embarrassment and holding onto the boy because of her ankle, the silverette did the best version of a respectful curtsy she could muster in that condition. "Grayfia Lucifuge and Issei Gremory, Master Weich. We're part of this class, transferring today, but because I've hurt my leg and Issei found me in that state, we're both late as he helped me get here."

 **\- [Reset!]**

The gauntlet, which Weich now knew was a Sacred Gear, announced loudly and disappeared from the boy's arm. Immediately afterwards, the Gremory's body almost lumped down, drenched in sweat and his breathing pattern became even more ragged than earlier, with his efforts to recover being futile. Fortunately, he managed to stand, or else he'd drag Lucifuge down with him. Weich wasn't an expert in tools God granted humanity with and didn't follow the rumors surrounding Gremory's adopted son, but it was obvious whatever power it granted also had some sort of price to pay.

"Alright, I'll let everything slide this time, but be sure to arrive at the next course at a time _and in your uniforms_." At his words, both of them bowed their heads and stated something about being grateful, but he waved them off. He already lost more time than he'd like to. "Go find yourself some seats and listen to what I teach. But before that, girl, come here for a second."

The silverette uncertainly looked between the seats and Weich, until he impatiently motioned for her to come. The girl whispered something to the Gremory, most likely some form of thanks, and let go of him before limping towards the podium, before he went to look for a place.

"Relax, girl." Gray eyes closed as the teacher sighed tiredly, before gently but firmly holding her by the arm and seating her on a step. "I will now check your ankle and administer basic help. It will ease your pain enough so you can concentrate and prevent any complications. However, after class, visit the hospital wing – they will treat it completely. And the rest of you, watch closely and think of it as a demonstration."

As Weich started treating Grayfia, explaining every step to his patient and the rest, Issei walked towards the familiar and unmissable figure of the raven-haired girl who gesticulated wide arcs with her arms over her head. More surprised at how Serafall was in the same class as him than what she was doing, the Gremory noticed Sōma covering her mouth and grinning apologetically. Next to them was an empty seat, clearly left out for him, and that was where he quickly headed to.

Just a moment after he sat down, Serafall escaped the redhead's hold, pressing herself against Issei and whisper-screaming at him, "What happened to you?! We were waiting here to surprise you, but you didn't show up! And then, in turn, surprised us, showing up with a girl in your arms! That's not fair! Why have you kept her hidden from us?! You want to leave us for your new friend?! Ise, I hate you for leaving us! Auntie Vela asked me to take care of you, but if you're like that…!" Her impressive tirade stopped when a hand showed up from behind her, stuffing a bunch of fried squids into the girl's mouth.

"Sera, before you start cursing his and that girl's future descendants while raining a fountain of tears on us, maybe first let him tell us anything," Sōma whispered, holding more squid just in case.

Issei exhaled, using the chance his friend gave him to sort his thoughts out and to think what to say to calm Serafall. He was horribly confused, not sure how to feel right now. He was a little scared at the same time, wanting to apologize even though he technically didn't do anything wrong, as he was tired from using his Sacred Gear and excited from feeling two soft bags full of men's dreams resting against him. When mixed together into a cocktail and served together a room full of new and unfamiliar classmates gave him… actually gave a surprisingly mild reaction. When Issei saw Serafall, he knew something like that was coming and steeled his nerves, only blanking out for a half minute.

"Thanks, Sōma." Smiling gratefully to his friend, the boy quickly raised both hands seeing as the heiress finished her forced snack and was getting ready to pick up where she left off. "Sera, calm down, and as Sōma said, let me explain. Making it as short as possible, things got mixed up with my delivery, then I got lost and while searching for a way here I run into Grayfia. She was hurt but also knew the way here, so I picked her up and we've got here like that."

The explanation Issei gave was all true, but the way he delivered it made it into a pile of complete bullshit. If he didn't just live through this, he'd call out himself poor liar who couldn't even come up an excuse. The brunet was waiting with his eyes closed for the continuation of Sitri's rant, but seconds passed and nothing came. Hesitantly peeking at the girl, he was shocked to see her sobbing instead.

"T-t-that's *sniff* just like Ise… *sniff* Helping someone he's just met, like with Sirzy." Slightly backing down, Serafall's eyes trailed down on the desk. Issei quickly used this moment to point at her to Sōma, mouthing, " _What's going on?_ "

The redhead mouthed back, " _Spank you later with a glass._ "

" _What?!_ " Came the voiceless scream.

" _Tell. You. Later. After. Class._ " Sōma repeated, making sure every word was clearly understood. With the weird message being a misunderstanding, Issei sighed with relief, at which Serafall looked up at him with suspicion, looking between both boys.

"Miss Sitri, Mister Gremory, am I interrupting you on something?" Weich's voice saved them from a question which was about to come. Looking down on where the teacher stood, Issei noticed Grayfia walking by herself to a group of girls, who must've been her friends.

As he tried to come up with an excuse, Serafall stood up and slightly bowed. "We're sorry, Professor Weich. I was just explaining to my friend your reason behind using earth magic to create a temporary cast around her foot after cooling it down."

Weich, apparently pleased with that answer, just nodded and gave her a sign to sit down. The blue-robed girl did exactly that. Sending discreet smile to Issei, Serafall put a finger to her mouth and then as if nothing happened she turned to the teacher, who was starting with his lecture.

"As we established last time, the House Stolas' aid to the Devilkind in the Great War is highly valued because of their vast knowledge about herbs, their use in either poisons or recovery concoctions. Today, we will look closer at their ties to other great houses and how those connections influence our options in various areas. Now, the first thing that…."

* * *

Seeing as both Serafall and Sōma were focusing on what was being said, Issei also turned to listen.

"So, what do you think about your first lesson here?"

The class ended, and everyone started to pack their notes. Issei was holding a small pile of papers he borrowed after finding out he forgot his things, as Sōma asked, taking the brunet's notes and packed them into his bag. Serafall excused herself some time before the end, so it was just the two of them in their seats.

"It was different, for sure. Not in a bad way, Master Weich sure sounded like someone who knows their case and I see he can keep students' attention. But it's still not the same as studying one-on-one with Aunt Lydia when she tutored me for the last week." Issei looked around, trying to remember other students' faces and noting to introduce himself later.

"Yeah. It's hard to find someone similar to my Mom when she's on duty."

Hearing that, Issei immediately forgot about his classmates and jerked his head at Sōma. "What did you just say?"

Redhead finished packing and threw his bag over the shoulder, motioning to Issei they can now go. "You didn't know? Lydia Gremory is my mom. I think Sirzechs mentioned something about us soon being related when he introduced me."

Walking down the stairs, Issei thought it was highly possible, but his memory of meeting Sōma was foggy and barely there. The teenager also had again this weird feeling that it was better to not try too hard to remember this, as if something traumatic happened there – something connected with food.

It all went away when he noticed Grayfia getting out from the row before them. "Hey, there! Is your leg alright?" Issei called her out, waving to catch her attention.

The silverette smiled kindly as she noticed him. "It's better, thank you. Thanks to your help I got here for a class and didn't miss my first class here."

"It nothing. Without you I wouldn't get here either, so we just helped each other and we're even." The brunet waved it off with a humble smile. On top of her giving him directions, he also got to hold a beauty in his arms, which was a nice reward in itself. "Anyway, do you need help to get to the infirmary?"

"No, but thank you. My friends already offered to help me and I accepted. Besides, I don't want to trouble you anymore." Grayfia waved at a group of girls with whom she earlier sat, confirming Issei's earlier thoughts. "See you later." And with that, she walked to those girls, clearly avoiding putting too much weight on her injured leg.

Issei stood there for a second before he felt someone pat him friendly on the back and remembered Sōma was still behind him. "Looks like you just got shot down, eh? Anyway, let's move on instead of standing here."

"It's not like I was hitting on her; I just asked if she needed help," Issei answered honestly. It was true Grayfia fit right into his preference, but he didn't want to creep her out with asking her out right after meeting her. He also didn't want her to think he helped her to get something in return. "So, now can you tell me how you're here?"

Strolling through corridors, Yukihira put hands behind the head and shrugged. "Not much mystery there. Aunt Venelana and Uncle Zeoticus thought it'd be better for you to have at least one or two familiar faces here, so they've asked for you to be put in our class. Well, there's also Ajuka, but he's a genius and has his own level of learning, and also his work for Master Zelvon. Besides, it looks like they were right with that. You need to have a special talent to venture into _the only one empty wing_ which is getting readied for renovation."

That answer was fairly obvious, and sounded good enough – if he disregarded Sōma's subtle jab. And his parents were right: having two friends by his side already made him feel better, even with Sera's wild fantasies. At least now he had someone to show him around and to go with to their next class. Although, now that he thought about it slowly, he lost a chance to use this as an excuse to ask some pretty girls for a tour, playing the 'new student' card.

"Right, Ajuka does his own things here, like when I first met him lying on a hospital bed. I'll be in your care, then. Show me around, maybe give some tips about teachers and other students. And..." Issei looked around to see if there was anyone close them and leaned towards Sōma, "tell me about the best peeking spots here. I know some in a medical wing, but they also know me around there…" The pervert was planning to visit there for a quick look from time to time anyway, but by the end of his time there the female population either working or studying there was much more careful. It wasn't going to stop him, yet it was getting harder. And having more options was always welcome.

"Hahaha!" As they left the building, Sōma's laughter could be heard all over the decent-sized park with a fountain in the middle. The area had paved tracks running between parts of grass and flowers, with Devils either walking around, sitting on benches, or just lying on the green. The chef-in-training didn't pay any mind to the passersby staring at them as he continued for a good few seconds. "Not gonna' lie, that question was exactly what I expected from you. Unfortunately, I won't be much of a help. I try to avoid women's ire coming with that act, and I have enough problems on my own." And that was true. He was well-known even without peeper's reputation, tales about what his food experiments could do to Devils – especially the female ones – circulated all over the Old Academy.

However, Issei wasn't hearing any of this. Right when they stepped on the cobbled path, a cold feeling deep inside him woke up. The last week was free of nightmares, making it like they were just a bad mirage, but now it all came back. Even though his mind knew it was impossible, his hand moved by themselves to his stomach, expecting to feel warm blood flowing from a hole in it. Somehow, just looking at the fountain woke something up inside his mind, or maybe just an echo of something which wasn't there anymore. His breath immediately became short and shallow, his hands wet with sweat and his eyes ran around, searching in panic for something, yet not knowing what.

"Issei..?" Noticing his friend's weird behavior, Sōma asked concerned and reached out to him.

 **\- BAAM!**

...

 **\- THUD!**

Before Sōma's hand got to touch him, the big gate doors nearby were flung open, spitting something out, flying. That something quickly turned out to be a Devil's body, which after almost reaching the two of them landed a few meters away with a dull sound.

That brought Issei back from his weird state. Noticing his hands and how they were shaking, he'd quickly hid them in the robe, getting his breath under control as he did after his nightmares. "Is he dead?" Trying to avert the subject from possibly asking about him, Issei steered it at the Devil lying in the dirt.

His attempt seemed to succeed as Sōma knelt beside the body to check it out. "Nah, he's breathing." As Sōma rose, Issei finally noticed most Devils who were in the park now stood in a circle around them and the unconscious guy. "Anyone can go get help for him?"

What shocked Issei was how… normal that situation seemed by everyone's reaction. Sōma instantly dragged him away without looking back after lifting him up, and the students left behind just chatted between themselves, some arguing who should search for a healer.

His impression must've been especially obvious as Sōma stopped soon after and pointed at the small crowd. "You could say what happened is nothing new. If no one flies out from that arena, people start to get concerned about the teacher who owns it."

"'Owns it'?" Issei gave a better look at the building. From where he stood, it seemed to be as big as the building they just left, with white stones used for walls and in a circular shape. Teachers usually didn't own buildings inside the school, especially ones this big and expensive-looking. Except… "Wait, is Master Treon the one who threw that guy?!" Issei, with all his imagination, couldn't picture the skinny old scholar throwing someone that way. But then again, with magic, that shouldn't be much of a problem.

"No, the Principal mostly teaches only higher grades and exceptional students. Advanced Magic Techniques, Higher Rituals and Alchemy or Unconventional Subjects, whatever those are. The one I'm talking about is our combat instructor, who on the side-note is also the source of most of the rumors you heard about teachers. And that's where we're going, since our next class is Combat Preparation."

That brought a cold chill down Gremory's spine. The stories about monstrous professors, tall and bulky, who ground Angels' skull with their teeth for a snack; horrifying sadists who draw pleasure from torturing students, forcing them to learn or train until they puke their insides; classes with mortality rates, where those too weak were pushed into the ground to at least serve as stepping stones for those stronger as they died; beasts scarier than any enemy students could face on the battlefield…

And the person who gave birth to those rumors was his next teacher, and he was walking right into his or her jaws.

With the image of the thrown Devil in his mind, Issei didn't think how exaggerated rumors were, forgetting how people loved to colorize their stories. All he focused on was the entrance to the arena, looking more ominous with every second. His whole body told him to run, but then whatever awaited him would only end up worse.

"...fuck." The only Devil with a Sacred Gear muttered as he took hesitant steps towards the big gate.

* * *

 **A/N: The plot thickens, plotting Devils loom over the horizon, big-boobed damsel in distress shows up and students are being thrown by the rumored monstrous teacher, what else anyone would want? Well, I for one wouldn't mind passing all my exams in the first try, but I'll have to wait for the results. Having said that, share your about the story and join the evergrowing group that faved and/or followed it. And if you haven't checked my other one or ekaterina's stories, go on and take a look, maybe you'll like it as much or even more than this one. See you next chapter or in DMs.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Welcome, to my favorite part of every chapter. We know that the story is cool and all, but the real reason you're all here is that bold part up here and down there full of my rambling, right? Right? Well, of course not, most of you just skip it. Still, I like my rambling. And me advertising my other story or leaving credits for beta-ing where credits are due or leaving some info. So...**

 **First, happy news. Since the last time we've jumped to over 200 follows and exactly 175 favorites! Great job everyone, let's keep those numbers growing! Also, a word for the trusty beta who contributed much to this, ekaterina016. Yet again thanks for all your help!**

 **IMPORTANT STUFF!**

 **Yup, the pool I talked about should land on my profile. Those who don't know, it's about who's paired with Grayfia. I may or may not have a bias there and if the votes will be close or there will be no votes at all I'll go with it.**

 **Now, onto reviews.**

 **\- MeteorElDrago: This chapter should be more than enough to keep it up. And if he ever lands back in the hospital wing, it won't stop on just namecalling from female stuff.**

 **\- leader,dbz(had to switch . for ,)** **: Tried to keep it up, had to fight hard with this chapter but in the end and with the help of my beta, I think it came out nice.**

 **\- Wic W. Athor: Yeah, the main reason I started it was because I realized there was nothing like that and I wanted at least one. As for IsseixGrayfia, the foretold pool will decide whether it'll be Issei or Sirzechs with Grayfia.**

 **\- MasterOfDragonsGod: Thanks.**

 **A last bit of info. In this chapter, there's a new character. And while I'm not doing self-inserts, don't like them, that guy speaks my thoughts about pop culture armor in particular, but I'll use him more in the future to went some other things. Like the fact that every main character almost always uses swords! I get it, swords are cool, I myself love swords too, but for fuck sake, humanity's beautiful history of violence has so much more to offer in regards to tools for killing! And don't get me started how when they do use other weapons, they're completely oversized! OR SHIELDS! WHY NOBODY USES FUCKING SHIELDS!**

 **And with my little meltdown behind, I'll end this part. Have a nice read.**

* * *

"Where is that lazy brat? I'm sure what I did to him was not enough to kill 'im, neither did I threw him far enough to take that long coming back. He thinks I am a dog who must fetch him?" A looming figure hidden by the slowly setting cloud of dust asked without expecting an answer, who in his irritation was unaware of his leaking aura was paralyzing students around him. "For what is the reason of your training here, if you can't even stand a slap like this...?"

On the grounds of the arena resembling a Roman amphitheater, commonly called 'Inferno' by the Old Academy students, stood a group of twenty young Devils trying their best not to draw their instructor's attention. All of them wore various sets of gray, black, and red steel plate armors instead of standard robes, though the amount and details varied between individuals. Some wore notably bulkier parts on their upper body, others had little-to-no protection around their legs. If not for their lack of weapons, they'd be a perfect picture of a random soldier unit. Two rows of seven and one of six identical helmets reinforced the image, each fully covering their heads with gray steel and polarized visors over their eyes.

And still none had the slightest desire to draw the attention of their angry teacher.

"The rules I laid out at the beginning were simple, weren't they? You come here wearing armor AND helmet, unless you think you can withstand AT LEAST my slap! Your flying colleague, whatever's his name, clearly thought so. And he was wrong. Hope he shows up in his armor next time."

None of the steel 'statues' said anything, thinking back to how everything happened.

It was their second year of classes with this teacher, nicknamed 'Nightmare of Inferno' after this building. Most called him that behind his back, fearing that using his real name might accidentally summon him. As with every other student, they too heard stories, but their first year passed without any incidents. Nightmare still proved his reputation by being the most demanding teacher in the academy. However, there were no killing, mauling, or other life-threatening situations.

Until today.

One of them, hurrying to the class, showed up wearing robes instead of armor. Maybe he thought nothing truly bad would happen, and he couldn't make it otherwise. Or perhaps someone stole his armor ― Nightmare didn't ask. Their practice went on as usual. Forming trios and engaging in mock battles, the teacher watching carefully and calling out even the slightest mistake. When the training neared the end, he suddenly ordered everyone to stop and line up.

"Looks like another one wants to showcase their toughness." Those were the only words warning them what was going to happen, but it soon became clear what he meant as he stood before them, popping joints and staring at their armor-less classmate. He did not forget about him, nor let him go, but waited until it was time to deliver his promise to them.

The next moments passed terrifyingly quickly. The young Devil wobbly walked to the teacher, muttering every reinforcing enhancement, shielding spell, and summoning magic circles he knew. The teacher just stood there and waited for him to finish.

Barely after the student raised his arms and gave a signal, he was sent flying. Too fast for anyone to see, a backhanded slap connected with his face. The unfortunate guy lost consciousness before his feet left the ground.

Days later, when he woke up in the infirmary, his friends asked what was the last thing he remembered. "A glint in Nightmare's eyes before everything went dark," he answered.

"Whatever. Your other classes are none of my concern." Dusting off some leftover sand, the teacher turned to the group. "Class's over! Go change and do whatever you're supposed to do."

"Yes!" A choir of twenty voices shouted at once and hurried off the grounds. When they were far enough to feel safe, whispered gossips started between them. The group was so preoccupied with discussing what happened they didn't even notice two other students passed by.

"So that was the 'naked punishment', huh? To be honest, I've heard much about it, but fortunately never had to be on the receiving end." Sōma spoke, standing with Issei in the entrance to the arena. "Up until now, I've only had theoretical classes with this guy. But even then, I've earned a textbook flying to my head once or twice if I dozed off." The redhead remembered how 'effective' this method was to keep students awake.

"That must've been a hell of a slap..." Half-listening, Issei roughly tried to estimate the size of the arena, but it was too big to even bother. They came a moment before the armored group has been dismissed, hearing the last part of the lecture. The Gremory had no idea why what happened was called 'naked punishment' ― the act was cruel enough, much less the name. But if the Devil crashing down before them because of _a_ _ _slap__ was of any indication, what a serious blow from that guy was capable of terrified Issei.

"I've heard stories about what he did on the battlefield before coming here. Even if only half of that is true, I bet he was still holding back. Anyway, come, I'll introduce you." Before Issei could react, he was already dragged towards the man.

"Hey, stop!"

"Master Toriton, do you remember me?!" However, it was already too late to stop his friend.

"Yukihira?" A quick glance from the called-out Devil, and his face turned into a mix of familiarity and annoyance. "I remember hittin' your head awake, if that's what yer' asking. Last year you passed my lectures on Basic Warfare. And I also remember your year doesn't have any more of it, so why are you bothering me?"

"We don't. Instead, we have Combat Preparation, and my group's session is next. Let's have fun this year too, Teach." He finished with a grin, which turned the teacher's slight annoyance into a much more obvious one.

"Really? Well, whatev'. Why're ya' bothering me when I still have a quarter hour without any of you comin' here? And who's your friend, walking around without a uniform?"

"He's a new student. Headmaster Treon instructed me to introduce you two as soon as possible."

During his talk with Sōma, Issei got a chance to get a closer look at his teacher. The first thing even more striking than his looks was the air he had around him. Outwardly careless, but underneath, the Sacred Gear holder could feel a sharpness deadlier than even a Fallen Angel's spear. He couldn't place it on anything particular or even a specific sense which discerned it. The feeling just __was__ there.

"Ho?" And just like that, the presence disappeared. "Color me surprised. Someone so young and seemingly weak, yet you can notice that." Nightmare of Inferno now stared at him with blatant curiosity.

With that 'something' gone, the young Devil could finally focus on the man before him. Giving credit to the rumors surrounding him, he was __huge__ ― just as big as the giant herald Issei remembered from his first meeting with the Sitris, easily over two meters tall. Built like Issei's grandfather, with muscles forged for fighting, easily showing through the gray training shirt and loose pants. There wasn't a hair on his face or head ― instead, he proudly wore a fine collection of scars all over his exposed body. The especially eye-catching one spanned from the left side of his skull down to the jaw, sticking out as a white line on tanned skin. A very intimidating man seemingly in his late thirties, removing all doubts about why he was compared to a monster. And those brown eyes which first just passed over him without sparing any attention now pinned him down and inside his soul.

"' _That_ '?" Forcing his voice through the unnaturally sore throat, Issei resisted the urge to shrink under his look.

"Death." Staring in the teen's eyes, the bald Devil leaned closer, almost causing the Gremory to take a step back. "It's the stench clinging to those who have killed in hundreds or thousands. Warping something inside them, leaving its mark," he continued with a voice barely louder than a whisper.

"I don't smell anything. And my nose is pretty sensitive from working in the kitchen." Sōma reminded the two of them he was still there by taking a deep whiff from around Toriton.

"Stop smellin' me, Yukihira!" Grabbing the kid by the collar, the older Devil pushed him away with disgust. "The best aroma ya' can get here is sweat and dust, maybe some old blood. It can't be felt with just your senses. You have to be __touched__ by it." Toriton looked at Issei again, but then only shook his head. "Yet this lad doesn't move, stand or breathe like someone used to committing slaughters. No, he knows it because he's experienced it… Didn't ya'? You've matching gaze with Death's empty eye sockets. Or was it something else?" He went on, his face gravely serious.

Sōma looked at his friend with doubt written all over his face, and asked with an ironic voice. "Seriously? So what; he's got some powers thanks to that, or what?" His friend-slash-adopted cousin ― from what he said ― had some close calls. The ones he remembered; and who knew what happened to him before he lost his memory. But things like that happened because of the Great War more often than anyone liked.

And Toriton's exaggeration was shown ironically and in a blatantly obvious way. So, unless he recently changed that habit, or tried to be funny especially for them ― both extremely unlikely ― Issei had to experience things worse than most soldiers. And that was something.

"Yer' stupid or what?! Of course not, as if the world was so convenient! You fight, you lost, and are about to die in a moment. But then, thanks to traumatic events or some memory, you develop new, amazing powers… BULLSHIT! Who the fuck'd even train if that'd work?!" The Nightmare of Inferno's voice rose as he gesticulated widely, looking seriously enraged right now. "If the kid's not a stone-cold killer or a psycho ― and I see he's not ― all he gets right now are nightmares, anxiety and this kind of crap. My brother and his kind call it a post-traumatic stress disorder or whatever. If his mind is weak and without help, he might snap one day. I've seen Devils like that; other races, too ― turned into empty husks and worse. Or he'll learn to live with it, accepting what happened as a part of him."

A hollow, bitter laugh escaped Toriton's throat as two teenagers continued to listen, not even aware they're holding their breaths. "If you want some 'powers', then… in that case, he won't at least shit himself when faced with something sure to kill 'im at the cost of his… sensibility, without a better word. One step closer to someone who kills without batting an eye, when all you get are clean head and pants when you're about to die."

Listening, Issei wanted to deny this theory, one sounding like utter madness, but inside, his own voice whispered something else. His fragmented memories of what happened inside his gauntlet made him sure there were things worse than death, illogical things. But even that was all to it, he had been like that since he woke up in that forest. Nightmare of black feathers and flaming orange eyes showed up at nights, leaving without any recollection apart from instinctual fear when waking up. Of course, he was curious about them and theorized what those were, sharing what he felt was sensible with his parents. If he was right, the eyes belonged to the 'Cat' ― his nickname to whomever or whatever it was who helped him up till now ― so he couldn't tell them anything about that part.

But the second part was also fairly obvious, all but pointing to the Fallen Angels. Issei actually thought he was starting to understand it as his lost memories, but then an unexpected mental attack caused by the sight of a _fountain_ ruined it all. For all he knew there could be a moment he was once on the brink of leaving the world of the living. But he knew next to nothing ― except… there was one 'person' who could possibly know, but they're outside his reach.

"Your name?" A flat question asked by the teacher muted his internal struggle, pushing it aside for next time.

"Ummm… Issei Gremory."

Hearing the unmistakable clan name, Toriton grunted, finally understanding what exactly was going on here. "Yukihira, you can tell my younger brother I'll take on his task and will observe our new celebrity." He stopped for a moment. "Alright, Gremory. I'll remember your name and see what you're worth later. And since it's only fit to answer when someone introduces themselves, I have to return the favor. My name is Toriton Zelvon, and you'll detest what my brother puts you in."

What rose on giant's face after those words was one of the filthiest grins Issei ever saw. "Now, both of you, get lost, and don't you dare to disturb my free time before your session starts! Especially you, Yukihira!"

* * *

"What the Hell?! Or Heaven?!" With the two of them out, Issei couldn't hold it any longer. In his head, questions popped out so fast he actually didn't know what he wanted to ask first. What exactly just happened? Was that feeling earlier what Toriton said? How could he read him so clearly with just a glance? More and more things to answer in too-short a time, making the teenager stuck and trying to express those things out loud ― if not with words, then with gestures. And that's why Sōma stood a safe distance away from him and the wide arcs his hands made. "What?!"

For the redhead chef, that meeting could have gone better. What was supposed to be a simple introduction turned into some REALLY heavy talk… and most likely butting into his new cousin's secret.

One which shouldn't be kept to oneself, but still… This day was Issei's first day here, and it would've been much better without talking about deaths, massacres, and traumas. " _ _Great job, Yukihira. You don't even have anything to serve as a snack to calm him down.__ _"_ With the mental self-scolding out of the way, all he now had to do was resolve the problem… Yukihira-style.

"Oh, I'm certain he's on Hell's side. And every Devil is glad he's not fighting for Heaven or Grigori."

"…what?!"

The famous Yukihira-style problem-solving, defusing the atmosphere with a joke and cheeky grin, failed. Instead of laughing, Issei now stared at him as if he'd grown a second head. Sōma really wished he'd brought more snacks. Calming others was so much easier while they were eating. Unless he served them his failed experiments ― then they sometimes turned __too__ calm...

With his hands raised in surrender, Yukihira tried again. "A joke. Maybe not the best time for it, sorry. Try to take a deep breath. Calm down. Then ask."

Issei did as instructed and his mind indeed cleared a little. "Right. So, what's this guy's deal? He's..." Issei searched for a word to describe his new teacher without outright insulting him.

"Intimidating?" Sōma finished for him, getting a nod for that. "Well, that's obvious. As Toriton himself says, he's a man thriving on war, born to fight on the battlefield. Everyone wonders why he's here instead of hunting Angels. The most popular rumor is he lost a bet to his brother, and as a payment, he has to teach here."

Again, Issei nodded. A guy who talks with a person he's just met about massacres would fit a battlefield much better than a school. And about brothers… "His surname… Master Treon wouldn't be that mentioned brother?"

"Bingo. Toriton's Treon's older bro."

"Older?" The Gremory echoed, unsure if Sōma was joking again.

"Older. They don't look it at all, right? But if he wanted, Master Treon could make himself look younger than us."

That one actually raised some warning flags in Issei's head. What if he'd met some girl seemingly his age, who'd then turned out to be older than his grandma? Would he even care as long as she had great boobs and look young? If it was just peeking, then it didn't matter, but what about dating someone like that, or an even closer relationship? That was a topic to think over later in his room.

"Anyway," Sōma, happy his friend had calmed down, had a question of his own, "I'll answer whatever else you want to know later, but first I have to ask you something and then introduce you to our group."

"Sure, what is it?"

"That thing Toriton talked about… all this 'staring Death in the eye'. Is it true?"

"..." Issei pursed his lips, eyes running to the side. He'd expected this question, yet still hoped for Sōma to miss it or forget about it. A stupid wish, yes, but that didn't change the fact he didn't want to touch the subject any more than necessary.

"And whatever happened at the park… That was also because of that?" And yet Sōma still dug deeper, not letting him get away this time.

"I don't know." He still avoided the redhead's stare, but this time at least he answered. His tone was low and quiet, but enough for Sōma to hear it. "The thing is, I don't remember anything except for some random images. Maybe Toriton's right, but I can't say anything because I don't remember." There were things he suspected and was almost sure of, but couldn't share with Yukihira or anyone because of his promise to the Cat. As much as he hated his amnesia, it was at least useful as an excuse in this situation.

"Right." Now Sōma felt bad for asking, but Zelvon said keeping trauma inside without sharing with anyone could break his friend. And since there wasn't much else he could do without forcing Issei, which would do more harm than good, he gave up. "Just remember, if you want to talk to someone, me, Sera and Ajuka are here – if you can pry him away from his books. Even if we can't do anything about it, talking helps. Or so I've heard." A small smile crawled its way on Issei's lips, at which Sōma grinned. "C'mon, I still have to introduce you to the rest of our group before we go back to that crazy fossil!"

* * *

"To everyone who doesn't know me, the name's Toriton Zelvon!" A group of twenty-one Devil of both genders stood in the corner of Inferno's arena before the bald instructor. Among them were Issei, Sōma and Serafall, who came back after whatever she was doing. Earlier, when Sōma introduced him to everyone, Issei searched for Grayfia, but neither her nor her friends were here. All of them stood in line, face to the front, listening to his speech. "You're starting 'Combat Preparation', as your principal deemed to call this course. You were at the same time lucky and unlucky 'nough to get me! Unlucky, because you will HATE those lessons you have with me! Lucky, because y'all got a teacher whose students will live through the murderous training, __and__ live through the battle later!"

Toriton turned to the three massive chests behind him, each nearly as tall as a grown man. The curious group tried to look over the giant's shoulder to see what's inside, but they didn't have to wait long for him to present their content to everyone. Each chest was full of weapons of various kinds and sizes. One was stuffed with swords and spears to axes and war hammers, as well as many other kinds of handheld arms. The second had bows, crossbows, slings, and weapons Issei couldn't recognize, but he assumed those were for ranged combat. The last had stacks of shields ― small, big, round, and other designs placed on top of each other. What all of them had in common was a complete lack of any ornaments. Just simple things of enchanted steel, wood, and leather.

"Today's quite easy for you. Each of you gonna' fight me with weapons I've chosen for you to see which suits you best. If you've brought yours, go on and try them. But if I judge you're shit with it, I don't care how much you whine, you'll train here with what I said. Outside, you can just as well use a fork to fight, but here, my word is the law! Understood?" Without waiting for their answer, he reached into one chest and brought out a mace, roughly seventy centimeters (2.3 ft) of strong wood, finished with a steel head. And Toriton waved it as if it's just a twig, pointing at the group as he walked before the line. "Even if you don't understand, you will soon. But before everything, I have to teach you the rules of this place. First, as I've already told you: No Satans, gods, deities, or other creatures in any realm rules here but me. As long as you're within those walls, you are under __my__ orders. Second, whatever weapon and armor you get from here, you treat them with respect, because they will save your life, but you must also remember those are just tools at the same time. I will kick your arse if you throw your weapon, damage it without a good cause, or because you're too lazy to properly take care of it. Yet choosing between it and your comrade, you pick the latter!"

He threateningly swung the mace and checked if everyone listened carefully. "Third, again armor. That's because, after your fights, I'm gonna' design what students from Metallurgy and Enhancing classes will prepare for you to wear here. The rule is you're showing here in EVERYTHING, __ESPECIALLY__ HELMETS! I don't care if they're stuffy, heavy, ruin your hair, or whatever the fuck's your excuse ― armor is to protect your bodies. Unless you're tough enough to the point where you can survive a blow from me without 'em, you're wearing it!"

"We've just had a first-hand presentation on why we should listen to that. Right, Issei?" Sōma muttered. Hearing him, Issei and Serafall had it hard to keep straight faces.

"NOW! Set some order in which you'll be tested and we're starting!" Shooting the redhead a warning stare, Zelvon shouted and then walked out towards the center of the arena. The old Devil didn't care in the slightest about firsts and lasts ― in the end, he'd test all of them, so he might as well let them set it for themselves. It's always informative the way they did it, either with random order, volunteers, fistfights or whatever.

What followed was a heated discussion, yet no blows were exchanged. Finally, the students settled for drawing lots. Issei was last, Sōma got his spot near the end, but Serafall had to actually go first. The girl, with her easy-going persona, didn't seem to mind it at all, but there were quite a lot of others they were glad that they didn't have to start it.

Everyone, except for the Sitri heir, lined up under one of the walls as she walked in her blue robes towards the teacher. "So you've finally decided. Starting with a Colored One to the boot, not bad." Toriton's voice magically resonated across the grounds as he gave Serafall's clothes a quick glance, gaining satisfied half-smile. "Your name, girl? And favorite weapon if you have one."

Serafall, full of her cheerfulness even before the feared teacher, customarily bowed like a respectful student should and then immediately sent him a beaming smile ― which a respectful student shouldn't. And somehow, that smile also caused little stars to rain around her. "Serafall Sitri, Master. Since I mainly fight with magic, I mostly use wands."

Watching the girl's spectacle, Zelvon raised an eyebrow questioningly, smacking away a stray star before it landed on him, but besides that, haven't reacted in any way. "A magic user? Since you have those robes, you must at least know something. We'll see how much is this 'something', though." The old man fell silent for a moment, staring intensely at Serafall. As the moment started to get uncomfortable and she was about to say something, Toriton snapped, summoning a small brown magic circle. Immediately, a short spear, an arming sword, and a pair of hunting knives emerged from the chests, followed by a circular shield under the eyes of startled students. They flew and stopped a meter before the teacher.

"Wands are useless unless they're sturdy enough for you to use them to smash someone. You can put the same magic-focusing enhancements or use the same sacred stick from a tree that grew in some random god's shitting spot to make a classic weapon like a sword… or a dagger for those small ones. And with those, you can stab or bash them when magic ends up useless." Toriton grabbed the spear and the shield, then threw it before Serafall. The spear had about two and a half meters (8.2 ft) in length with approximately fifty centimeters (19.7 in) of it being double-bladed steel spearhead allowing for both cutting and thrusting. The shield was a wooden disc plated with steel on the edges, roughly sixty centimeters (23.6 in) in diameter. "Based on your muscle structure, the way your bones are placed, your stance, and other things which are too long and unnecessary to explain, those weapons should suit you. Now, you're going to attack me while I'll be defending, then I'll start attacking you to test your defensive reflexes. You're welcome to try and counterattack then too, but I don't plan on giving you a chance. In fact, no one ever landed a hit on me in their first fight here. After a while, you'll change your weapon, and we begin anew. This way, we'll see how you work with them and which one you should stick with. Let loose; there's a barrier separating us and others."

Part of the class stared speechlessly at Toriton, one who understood the weight behind his words, delivered in a bored tone. The old Devil could tell just by looking at Serafall to understand how her body was built and worked, even with clothes on. Not only that, he immediately picked the appropriate weapons for her. Issei was among those who did. However, there was the thing which struck more than sheer impressiveness of it: If he could see all of those inner workings, was it possible to see girls' naked body, their exact shape with just a glance?! Of course, that wouldn't be the same as admiring them in their natural form, but an ability like that was worth more than its conceptual weight in gold just to be mastered! The teen's perverted mind burned it deep in his brain to ask more about it later.

As their friend was busy fixing her shield's straps and trying out her new weapon, there was one more thing the adopted Gremory wanted to know. "Sōma, those 'Colored Ones'… what's it about? I get it has something to do with how Sera has her robes blue instead of grey like us. But why?"

The redhead pointed at others in their group with a wave of his hand. As Issei's eyes wandered over them ― wearing the same sets of robes ― Sōma started in an overly-deep tone, copying Treon's way of speaking, "Headmaster Treon ruled that as a show of unity and humbleness before knowledge, students have to relinquish every color in their clothing. Representing one's Clan and using its Colors is a privilege given only to the best students here." With a smile wide enough to be used in commercials of teeth-whitening magic, he went back to his normal tone. "Over __them__ stands a group we call 'Golds', because, in addition to wearing Colored robes, they also have gold trims. The elite of the elites, get it? And I know it's hard to believe, but Sera is actually one of the smartest students here. Not on the super-duper level of those goldies, but pretty high. Anyways, looks like her fight's about to start."

Sōma fell silent and fully focused on the center of the arena, not wanting to miss a detail from their friend's spar. Opposite to what Yukihira thought, Issei easily believed Serafall could be among the best of the academy. With her 'second face' he saw, and how she questioned him at the ball, she was much more than just a merry, blue oddball.

"I'm ready, Master!"

At those words, they all stopped their hushed talks. Trying to prepare for their own turns, each student glued their eyes to Sitri heir and infamous teacher.

For Serafall, they didn't exist. Gone was the little girl the Devils took for cute, if a little stupid. Her whole world right now consisted of the weapon in her right hand, shield in the left one, and the teacher. When the man acknowledged her statement with a nod, she sprung to action.

 **\- SPLASH!**

As she said, her main forte was magic, more precisely the Sitri Clan's water magic. That's why immediately after the fight started, she summoned two of her family's blue magic circles and shot streams of boiling water at Toriton. More than an actual attack, it was to create a diversion, as right after that she jumped back in the air with her wings unfolded to gain a distance and height advantage from her opponent.

Her hope about the effect of the attack were correct. The bald Devil stood surrounded by a blinding wall of steam, unscratched and not moving a muscle except for his eyes. Even when it should be impossible to see, Serafall felt his eyes drilling into her, coldly analyzing her.

"'Ven't been to some good ol' sauna for a damn while..." Toriton muttered under his breath. The girl's moves in the air were good, swift and precise; her magic, even better. He'd go so far to say 'exceptional' for someone her age. Quick summoning without much of delay or loss of strength… _"_ _ _She's about to launch another attack, trying to use the remnants of the fog to make it harder to defend… Good thinkin'.__ _"_

Suppressing that illogical feeling of being observed, Serafall unknowingly did exactly as the teacher predicted. Summoning three circles around her, she executed her quickly-formed strategy. Her intention was simple. If no student ever scratched this instructor in the first fight, than that would be a massive achievement if she did just that, no? What's better, the 'no student' phase meant even the oh-so-smart Ajuka-I-am-Principal's-assistant (which he in fact never boasted like that) didn't manage this. Landing a hit at Toriton would let her hang it over that green head for years!

That's why she only summoned three circles. Packing them with as much power as she could, making them grow and glow bright blue. Precision and piercing. A single drop of blood, that's all she needed. She had a perfect spell for that. And using the fact Toriton just stood there without attacking, she could give it an extra punch without worrying.

"Hiyaaaaa!"

 **\- SPLASH!**

With a shout, she released it. Flying circles, similarly to the previous one, shot torrents of water where the teacher stood. This time, however, the current was much stronger and voluminous. And the trump card she hoped to give her a 'win'…

 **\- SWISH…**

"Freezing-cold water right after that boiling shower? And you even hid little icicles in it, smart." As the fog around him grew ever denser now, it started to irritate Toriton. So, with a swipe of a hand, he created a gust of wind to clear the view. "However, this test is for me to check your aptitude with weapons. From now on, if you want to use magic, use it with your spear."

Serafall only half-heard what was said to her, too focused on staring at the result of her magic and her opponent. Even though she wasn't a member of Lucifuge house whose powers specialized in controlling ice, with her polished talents in water manipulation, she managed to create ice as well as water. There was still room for improvement, sure, but the spell she used ― streams of water carrying barrage of razor-like ice shards ― was supposed to be __lethal__. That wasn't a boast ― with additional energy packed into it, every shard was at least the size of a fist. An even better testament of its power was the ground around Toriton: full of mini craters wherever ice hit, with some bits steaming and cracking loudly. But in the middle of it all, their teacher stood unmoved without a scratch or any mark.

"Muuu… Looks like I can't brag to Aju..." Whining to herself, Sitri looked closer at her spear and shield. Abandoning the vision worthy of a full boast, she now opted for just being the best in class at this test. "Yes, Master!"

Diving straight down, she aimed her weapon at the man's torso in a comet-like thrust. That finally got Toriton to move, as he changed his position at the last moment, letting her fly by. A sharp turn up saved her from crashing into the dirt, and with a little correction, she ended up flying slightly over giant's head level. Not waiting for another verbal command, her bat-like wings flapped, and Serafall attacked again, this time not as fast, however.

Her initial jab at the bald head was stopped with another side-step. Expecting this, the blue Devil quickly spun in the air. Coating the spearhead mid-turn in dense water, she froze it in the form of a long blade as she slashed with a suddenly longer weapon. But that surprise attack was stopped by a giant hand grabbing the ice part and crushing it easily.

Zelvon watched his new student's every move, seeing how her body acted with the new weapon. "Now, no flying!" Suddenly screaming out a new instruction, with a flick of fingers and a small circle, the master increased gravity for every flying thing inside his arena, effectively dropping the girl before him to the floor. The girl recovered especially quick and didn't waste any time before launching another thrust at his body. The position of her shield was too low, her footwork was a little messy, hence the thrust didn't carry as much energy as it could. He immediately saw those flaws, but they were inconsequential. Easily correctable with some work and a decent teacher to point them out.

As he deflected the tip of her spear to the side, the girl surprised him with trying to bash him with a shield instead of trying to regain control of the weapon. A good choice in this situation, but all he needed to do was to put a hand on it and push, sending her sprawling a few meters back. She landed back on her feet, taking some additional steps back to regain her balance. Those steps could cost her life if an enemy pushed immediately with a counter-attack, but the fact she's still standing was a success in itself.

"Defense, now!" He'd gathered almost all of what he wanted. He gave the girl a split of a second to process what he shouted, and then immediately jumped at her. One leap was enough to cross those few meters between them, making the girl's blue eyes widen in shock, only emphasized when she noticed his fist coming for her stomach.

Of course, it was much slower than he was capable of. Otherwise, there would be no point in this test if he killed every student with a single blow. The girl moved the shield, managing to block the blow. By the look of it, at the cost of a numb arm. He sent two more punches, one at her head and another at the weakened arm.

Serafall now understood why there were so many rumors around the Nightmare of Inferno, and why he had that nickname. He was basically a nightmarish monster as an enemy. Hard like a boulder, hitting just as hard without even trying. She tried to parry with a shield, and now barely could feel her left arm. And then, barely noticeable, she saw him aiming at her head like he's trying to kill her! By a pure stroke of luck, she moved to cover her head, only to lose the shield after the third attack.

"Stop!"

Panting from pain, Serafall froze at Toriton's new command. She couldn't see from where she stood, but the rest of the class also was unable to move. She was sure their teacher didn't use any magic, but somehow, her muscles wouldn't respond. That weird state quickly passed, leaving them with just a feeling similar to phantom pain, but over their whole bodies.

Uncaring of the impression he just made, Toriton walked over to where the shield fell. "That's enough with this combination, girl." Taking the spear from her hand, Toriton summoned another brown circle over her left. "This will help you with the pain and let you be ready for the next fight. Take a minute of rest, then we're starting again."

The reaction was unanimous shocked stares aimed at the bald giant. The fight they witnessed or took part in was without a doubt impressive, and even though short, Serafall definitely deserved some more rest. And yet, he wanted her to do it again almost immediately, most likely even twice more, to test her with every set.

All the more proof their teacher was a monster.

Soon after, Serafall fought him again, and then once more, true enough. After the third fight, Toriton nodded more to himself than to her and told the girl to go back inline. And the fights continued, with other students facing him in the order they picked out.

Except for his commands and calling out weapons for students, the teacher was silent, only sometimes muttering to himself too quietly for others to hear. If someone had their weapon ready beforehand, he allowed them to try it and repeatedly tested them. Some thought they were smart and got the idea there was no reason to exert themselves and tried taking it easy. 'Tried', because every time, Toriton immediately noticed, pushed at them with merciless attacks, and made them go right to their limits to bend, but not break.

Obviously, after the third person who tried that tactic, no one entertained any more of those smart ideas.

Because he was new, the class let Issei be the last one for testing. That allowed him to freely observe others fight. Various weapons were called out, some of them Issei didn't have a clue how to spell, much less use. None other fight was as impressive as Serafall's, or more like none carried as much power in them. The Sacred Gear holder could feel his gauntlet itching to manifest, or maybe it was just him wanting to feel its energy again. Either way, he made extra sure to watch Yukihira's fight, but it was obvious the redhead chef wasn't on their blue friend's level. It looked like he was most comfortable with a pair of long knives during his fight, most likely because of his experience in the kitchen. Still, a long way from Serafall's fight.

And then, finally, it was his turn. Full of jitters and slightly on edge, yet at the same time eager for a fight, Issei walked towards the center of the arena. When Toriton raised his eyes from a sword used in the previous fight, instead of silent analysis like every other student before him, Issei was given only a quick glance.

"Right, new Gremory. Let's get this over quickly." Issei watched as the sword was sent back into the chest. But when he waited to hear what weapons were picked for him, he heard a loud slam. Turning back, the teenager saw chests closing.

Then, Toriton called him out. "Attack me!"

That left the brunet even more puzzled. The only explanation was the teacher knew about the Boosted Gear. After his adoption ritual, the red gauntlet was a topic of most rumors surrounding him, and in their brief introduction, Zelvon seemed to have heard of him. This command made it almost certain.

 **\- [Boost!]**

So, he summoned the Sacred Gear, feeling a rush he already became familiar with again. The thing was, Issei was unsure whether he should stack up more boosts or attack as he was. One look at the instructor's face, however ― an image of impatience ― made him rush immediately.

 **\- [Explosion!]**

Issei shot forth using his one boost, readying a simple left hook. He didn't expect much after seeing everything that happened earlier and that he had only a single boost, but he was ready to try.

 **\- THUD!**

Only that, after two steps, Issei fell on the ground like a doll, not being able to breathe.

Without a move, a word, or any warning, Toriton sent _that something_. Same as before. Different. Not hiding or just being there, but now focused. Aimed. At him. Invading, suffocating him. It was there, just for a split of a second, but it completely immobilized him. Then, it left ― Toriton was again just a gigantic Devil, not a mass of pure pressure.

"Great, we're done! You'll get your weapons and armors by the end of the week. If you have any questions, keep them, we're done." Losing consciousness, Issei heard Toriton speak to the rest of the group. "Now, get lost, do whatever you want. And don't forget to pick up that Gremory from the ground."

Just as everything was turning black and Issei was sucked into the darkness full of black feathers, he had one last thought. Unless he misheard, he was the only one whom Toriton called by name…

* * *

 **And that's about it for this chapter. Hope you like it. As a trivia, most of this chapter was written while listening to OSTs of Doom and Doom Eternal. Great games with epic soundtracks. Another little fact could be Toriton's name, which is my friend's username, put through Google Translate. That guy's the best whipper to prod people for answers at my PBF RPG I've ever had! So...**

"DON'T FORGET ABOUT ME!" **My talk got interrupted by a bratty, loud, attentive, obnoxious** "Enough with adjectives! Or at least put some positive ones there." **... cat. Why are you here?**

"The question should be why I'm not here?! I got left alone without a word for a whole chapter and with your speed, IT'S FUCKING LONG!" **I mean, you're not needed and I have no plans for you for a long time ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ (Septimus the Cat was on the verge of tears)** "I'll be forgotten before I get another appearance. And what's with this lame title?! You're doing this to bully me!" **Yup** "That's not fair! You should not treat your child like that!" **You're not my child, you're a character born in my head** "See? 'Born in your head'! Give my own omake series or I'm calling Child Protective Services!" **No way!** "Then maybe I'll be saying disclaimers?" **I'm not using those if I don't have to. And since I don't make any money off here, I don't.** "Review answering corner?" **Hmmm... maybe next chapter.**

 **That's about it. The next chapter I'll post will be for Story of Half-breeds, those that only read this one will have to wait. Stay safe and healthy, join those following and favoriting, leave a review and check out the pool. See ya.**


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